Third Party
by blake mole
Summary: The old KND agents have gone into the TND. As a new year of High School starts, a new student arrives. Coincidentally, a teen mercenary appears in the neighbourhood, becoming an enemy of the KND and TeenZ alike. The TND tries to discover who he is, and in doing so, unearth dark secrets of their past, including an old rival organisation. Rated T for swear words and possible violence
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer : I don't own Codename : Kids Next Doors_ **.**

 **London**

 **23 August, 6 AM**

 **Teen Ninja Base E-2**

''Quick, we need to act fast.

-Right. Zobrozki, put a charge on the front door. When I'll give the signal, activate it, then throw one or two S.M.O. . Clarisse, use your drone to spy on them. You will then indicate us when is the best time to go in. When it is time, me, Hunt, Milord and Sukov will go trough the windows. Zobrozki, when I'll give you the signal, throw two S.T. . That will allow us to break in with the element of surprise, and reduce our risk of getting shoot. Has everybody understood what they must do ?

-Yes, sir !, said the five other people present.

-Good, then let's do this''

The six figures then took their positions. One, of a medium height, went behind a dustbin for cover, took out a remote control, then a small thing on wheels that looked like a miniature gyro pod. She then started making it advance towards the house. A second figure, smaller than the first, one quietly crept towards the door, then applied what seemed to be an explosive charge on it. Finally, four tall figures each went towards a window, and proceeded to abseil.

In the interior of the base :

The English teen ninjas were celebrating another successful fight against Sector E of the Kids Next Door. There was lots of soda which was being drunk, and tons of pizza which were being eaten by the minute. One of the teens was at one of the food tables. He was taking nacho cheese when one of his comrades approached him.

''Dude, what's going on ?

-Don't know, mate. I just got the impression we should be more vigilant. You never know, these kids might just come back with reinforcements and ruin our party.

-Ha ha, man, I doubt they'll come back after what we've given them.

-Still, I got a feeling...

-Ah, stop it. You're paranoid.''

But as the two teenagers continued to bicker, they failed to remark a small device resembling a hover board , which was silently moving around, visibly unnoticed by all the boys and girls who were present.

''And I say we should be...

-Shut up ! You're ruining the party...''

KABLAM !

The door exploded, sending splitters everywhere. The Teenz stood there for a moment, all of them dumbfounded. But their chief, a medium sized blonde haired girl, responded quickly :

''Teen Ninjas, activate Battle Ready Armour.''

Smoke was starting to pour in from the hole where the door used to be.

''What the f**k ?, said one of the Teenz.

-Probably the brats who have come back for revenge, said another one.

-All right, kids next door, drop your weapons and surrender. It's no use hiding behind some smoke and other kid tricks.''

As in response to her words, two weird cylinders rolled into the room. The teens stared at it for a moment, then started laughing.

''What the heck is that thing ? It looks...

-Like something I saw while playing CS. Cover your eyes, it's a flash...

POOF ! But it was too late.

Instantly, all the teens in the room were blinded during 3 seconds. Suddenly, there was a crash, and the sound of glass falling. Four figures then descended, guns at the ready. The Teenz who had recovered the fastest were mowed down, the projectiles making them double over in pain. The other ones started using their laser guns in direction their unknown enemy. But it was no use. They dodged the lasers easily, while responding effectively, hitting a dozen ninjas. The leader was in despair, all her soldiers were being put out of combat by four people. She knew for certain that these were certainly not the KND. They were tall, and were wearing clothes and equipment which looked like those of special forces. And their weapons... They looked like normal adult weapons, but there was something about them...Apart the fact that they didn't prove lethal. Also, the weapons were a bit smaller. She looked at one of her companions who was squirming on the floor. She then noticed a very small object next to him : a small plastic pellet. Then it hit her : These guys were using airsoft...but their guns had probably had ameliorations of some sort, for she had never seen an

AEG cause so much pain. She looked around her, and saw that there was only half a dozen ninjas left. She joined them behind the upturned table where they were trying to repel the enemy teens.

''Situation looks bad, sir, said one of them.

-I know. Why would teenagers attack teenagers ? This has no sense...

-For the moment, we're bad. They've put most of us out of action...

-I see that we are basically f****d...I'll try and know what they want.''

She stepped out. Instantly, the assailants started aiming at her.

''Stop. We'd like to know what you want. Why did you attack us ? Aren't teenagers suppose to fight kids ?''

Their leader, the teenager who was the tallest, stepped out in his turn :

''Alright guys, lower your weapons.''

He stood right in front of her, his arms crossed. Most of his face was hidden, but she could clearly see his eyes, they were dark green, and seemed to pierce right trough her. There was clearly a sense of authority which emitted from them.

''Who are you ?

-Can't tell you. I'm your enemy, remember ?

-What do you want ?

-Very simple. A sheet of paper that your commander, that rat, stored in your underground basement.

-We don't know what you're talking about...

-Oh, really ? Then how do you explain this !?''

He pulled out his telephone and showed her a photo.

''A kitten ?

-Ah,no, wrong photo...this one then...

-Marine Le Pen ?

-No...Ah, you crappy cell phone, can't you give me the good image...Ah, there it is.''

He showed her a third photo, on which you could see a boy in blue clothes giving a suitcase to a girl in a black suit of armour, the girl's face was clearly visible.

''It's you on the photo, isn't it ? It's no use lying...

-How did you get that photo ?

-You know, when you manage to create tiny drones, you can't stop yourself spying on people...

-What are you ? A sort of teen cell allied to the KND ?

-Allied to the KND ? You must be joking ! Although we ignore ourselves these days ( I'm not even sure they remember us ! ), we've had some problems with them in the past.

-But that's not possible, the Teen Ninjas are the only teen groups which exists !

-Oh, look at that ! Thinking that they're the only ones. You and your friends have a lot to learn. We've been here for a long time, 2 centuries to be precise. It's just that these days...we live in the shadows. Now, where is that suitcase ?!

-Ain't telling you.

-Alright.''

Then, all of a second, he whistled. Instantly, there was a series of Pop ! Pop !, and all the ninjas fell to the ground, holding their legs or covering their faces, some of them whining, one or two even crying.

''What...

-It's a bit stupid, huh, putting your men just in front of a broken door where my comrades could aim at them very easily.

-You...You...

-Yes, you're all alone, so you'd better tell us where that paper is or things are going to go very badly for you. And by the way, I think you should meet the rest of my team. Clarisse ! Zobrowski ! Come over here.''

Two new figures came in. There were smaller than the other ones. They were clearly kids.

''Y-You've got kids in your team...

-Yeah ? Why ? Does it shock you ? Of course it does...you're a ninja after all...Now, concerning these plans, I'll give you an ultimatum : Or you say the location in the next five seconds, or we throw you and all your pals in the river Thames...in the nasty bit where all the filth gathers up. Or, meaner, we could just leave you on the KND's doorstep. I expect they will be quite pleased when they wake up in the morning and find a dozen Teen Ninjas ripe for decommission.

-You wouldn't...

-I certainly would ! Think of it. Are you and your team less important than a sheet of paper, honestly ? If you tell me where it is, I won't harm you. Me and my team will just leave after we got what we wanted. You'll be left unharmed.''

He paused. The girl shut her eyes, in state of deep thoughts. After a minute, she talked :

''Alright. Take it. It's in the safe in the second room on the left, when you go down these stairs ( She pointed towards them ).

-Right. Clarisse ! Zobrowski ! Hunt ! Stay here and keep an eye on her. And remember, don't harm her on purpose. Sukov ! Milord ! You're coming with me !''

The three teenagers went down the stairs, then towards the second door. It was open. At the end of the room was the safe. They placed an explosive charge on it, then made it detonate. The door disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the large metallic cube shaped chest. The leader took out the black suitcase which was in it, and opened it. He found what he was looking for. That sheet of paper which would confirm his suspicions. He read it very quickly, then snarled.

''Alright, we're going.''

They went back upstairs. But a nasty surprise was waiting for them. The leader of the ninjas was free and pointing her laser pistol at them...and Hunt was at her side. The two kid agents were unconscious on the floor.

''Hunt...What does that mean ?

-That you're nicked.

-Traitor. You were with him from the start, weren't you ?

-Yes. I was. And now that you've discovered the whole plan, you must be dealt with.

-Yeah, as if you're in the position to do that. It's three against two !

-Three against two ? Isn't it four against one ?

-What ?''

The teenager turned around, only to find two assault rifles pointed at him.

''You dirty scum, I'll personally send you to hell !''

He then levelled his pistol towards them.

''I think not'' said the Teen Ninja behind him, and she dealt him a mighty blow on the back of the head. He crumpled.

''Why ?''

The teen saw his comrades and the girl smiling down at him. He tried reaching up, but one them kicked him in the face. His head hit the floor, and all went black.

 **This is all for the moment. Chapter 2 is currently under writing, and should arrive soon.**

 **Updates : Chapter 3 and 4 of B.L.A.C.K Team (TF2 fanfic) are currently being written as well.**

 **Don't hesitate to review.**


	2. Chapter 2 : New pupil

**Virginia Beach**

 **September 3, 7 AM**

 **Deaarmadta house.**

7am. The alarm clock beeped. And beeped. And beeped again. Suddenly, a fist came down on it, and it stopped :

''Stupid alarm clock !''

The boy got up. He rubbed his eyes, stretched and then changed from his pyjamas into his normal clothes, which consisted of a pair of black jeans, a white short sleeved t-shirt, and on top of it, a blue hoodie. He picked up his black sunglasses, and went downstairs to have breakfast. While going through the corridor, he saw his own reflection in a mirror which his mother had put here. His eyes had always puzzled the others. While other people had small eyes of normal colour, his were big, and of an unnatural icy blue colour. He noticed that a certain number of people in the neighbourhood looked at him bizarrely because of that.

Today was his first day in an American High School. He was English, with German origins on his mother's side. He and his family had just arrived in the States a month ago. He was tall, well built and he had brown spiky hair. He had a middle sized nose, and This year was going to be a real challenge. He was going to have to survive in a foreign country with its school, society and rules. He didn't have many friends, at least not that he remembered. His parents said that at a moment, he was part of a small group of boys and girls, but the all of a sudden, he stopped hanging around with them and they stopped hanging around with him. This puzzled him, for he didn't remember being part of a group at all.

He slowly went down the stairs, and went to eat his breakfast. His parents were already at the table :

''Good morning, son. Ready for school ?

''No'', said the boy flatly.

''Don't worry, said his mother, it will be fine.''

''Yeah, her son said ironically, fine.''

They ate quickly, then prepared themselves. The boy went into the car with his parents. They then drove off. Fifteen minutes later, they were in front of the gates of McClintock High.

''Have a good day, my son, said his father.

''Don't worry. I'm sure you'll make some friends.''

''No problem, ma. Bye. See you this evening.''

He entered the school. Immediately, he started looking around, trying to distinguish the different groups. There was a group of girls in one of the left halls, busily chatting on whatever music group or beauty product they were interested in. Near a group of lockers on the right, he could see some mean looking boys wearing football gear or jackets. Probably what the Yanks call ''Jocks'', he thought. He knew these were stereotypes. Although he never had friends himself, or so he remembered, he'd known some ''bully'' looking guys who were quite nice, while some ''nerdy'' ones could be the most slippery and backstabbing b*****ds. But this wasn't England, and the way they we're looking at him wasn't so friendly :

''Hey, you'' one of them said.

 _Ah, crap, what do they want ?_ He'd never been physically bullied. One or two had tried when he was younger. They regretted it !

''You're new, aren't you ?'', Said one of the boys.

''Yeah'', he said.

''Right. What's your name ?''

''John. John Dearmaadat. Who are you ?

''I'm Ace, captain of the Gallagher Typhoons.''

''Is that a rugby team ?''

''What ? Oh, I understand, you're a foreigner...''

''Yeah, I come from England. Why, got something against that ?''

''No...far from that...it's just there hasn't been foreign students here since a long time.''

''Right. So I guess these guys over here are your teammates.''

''Correct.''

''Okay. Other question : How do classes work here ? You see, in England, it's quiet different from here.''

''You'll see. First of all, you're not with the same people all the time. Secondly, some lessons may be different from the ones you had back in England.''

''Thanks.''

''No problem''

He found his first class, algebra. He entered the class and was greeted by the teacher :

''Here is your new classmate. Would you please present yourself ?''

He looked at the other pupils in the classroom. They were all staring at him. He started a bit nervously :

''Hello...my name is John Dearmaadat. I'm 16 years old, I'm British. I like drawing, sleeping, music...and all which touches the army : armoured vehicles, planes and guns. I hate homework, oranges, French cheese and ultra left and right wing parties. I don't have any friends, I ain't a dur brain. There, that's all you need to know about me. Any questions ?

The class was visibly surprised. It's not any day you get an new student who presents himself in such a gruff way. The first one to raise his hand was a blond boy with an orange jacket :

''Oy, can I just ask you a question, why is your name so weird ?''

''It's not weird. It's of Gaelic origin.''

''Why did you give such a weird description of yourself, said a girl, who was sniggering with her neighbour. I mean it's ridiculous.''

''That's how I am. And speaking of ridiculous, I'm not the one who's got a face and hair which make me look like a poodle.''

The girl looked offended. Then the teacher spoke :

''Alright...you can now go and sit down.''

The boy hesitated for an instant, then proceeded to do so. He opened his maths book. The lesson continued for ten minutes. Then he started to look around the class. There was that blond boy who'd asked him the question about his name. He was chatting with the girl next to him, a Asian looking girl with raven hair. Behind him we're another couple, composed of a nerdy looking boy with aviator glasses and an afro American girl with a red hat. He remarked that at each time he told a bad pun, she'd slap him on the head with her hat when the teacher wouldn't be looking. He then spotted a few other people who he'd try to socialize with after. The lesson finished. He packed his books into his bag, then went out to his next lesson, history. On the way, he bumped into a group of teenagers. One of them, a red haired girl started yelling at him :

''What do ye want, yer stupid boy ?''

''Stupid what ?''

''Yer dumb !''

''Say that again, red head !, he said, looking her straight in the eyes.''

''You're stu...''

She stopped all of a sudden when he heaved his glasses up. She recoiled with an expression of pure shock, pointing at him.

''Are you one of them ?''

''What are you talking about ? Got a problem with my eyes...''

''Yer eyes are...''

''Shut up ! What would you do if you had the same thing ?!''

He then continued his way, feeling the three teenagers eyes boring into him. On the way, he spotted a poster. It read :

 **You're a teenager ? Join us**

 **Kids have always been a pest. They don't stop annoying us, trying to make us revolt**

 **against the adults. This is bad ! But the worst things kids have done is create the KND**

 **The KND are a kid organisation bent on making the lives of teenagers and adults miserable**

 **When a kid reaches 13, his teammates erase his memories. Why ? Why must his personal**

 **memories be erased when he becomes a teenager ? Because the brats in the KND are cruel.**

 **They want us to suffer, just for the sake of their childish whims ! There's only one way to**

 **stop them ! Join us, and together we will crush kid kind for ever.**

 **For more info :**

 **-We have a special stall during the next pep rally.**

 **-You can also go to any mall in the town, we always have a few recruiting agents on the look**

 **out.**

 _Badly done_ , thought John, _it looks more like a propaganda sheet than anything. Although, they do have a point : it's just plain cruel to have your childhood memories erased._

The day went on normally...lessons, lunch, then more lessons...and people looking at him like a stranger. The usual. He hadn't really talked to anyone today. He'd try tomorrow. While going back to his house ( It was only ten blocks away from the school, his parents had only taken him in the car because it was his first day ). He thought about what he should do during the year. He'd try to socialize, and have a normal life, not like the one he'd seemingly lived back in Britain. Of course, he'd do his best to have good grades. Finally, he was 16, and at that age, you could start earning money with part time jobs. What he could do ? Delivery boy ? He had a bike, so he could do that. Delivering pizzas once or twice a week shouldn't be that difficult after all.

Then he thought about the school. It seemed normal, except for the fact that everybody looked at him like a freak. And then there was that poster he'd read. Who were the Teen Ninjas ? And who were the Kids Next Door ? Plus of all, these two organisations seemed...familiar, but not in a good way. He'd find out more tomorrow. He was puzzled when they said all kids were cruel. Alright, some kids were certainly the most horrible little brats EVER ! But he'd seen lots of kids in the streets, and they didn't look aggressive at all. He was only three blocks away from his home, when he past by a children's tree house. At first, he didn't notice anything special about it. But when he looked closer, he could see some things which aren't supposed to be on a normal tree house, like an air plane, or what was left of a truck. He also saw a cargo ship which was shipwrecked in the highest branches. Which kids would put all these things on their tree house ? In the space of one day, he'd learned that his neighbourhood was far from normal. He continued his way home. He already had a lot questions. But he didn't know, for the moment, who he'd ask them.

John Dearmaadat, however, didn't know he was being watched. If you we're in the treehouse, you would clearly see five kids looking at some security camera recordings.

''Do you have a visual on the teenager, numbuh T'', said a small blond boy.

''Affirmative, numbuh 43.''

''Crud, we kneed to know more about him. My brother and his pals told us he could be with the delightfuls.''

''How did they find out'', said a little Asian girl.

''Don't know. They said something to me about ''blue eyes'' and the fact that he was aggressive.''

''Whatever, said another kid. If we must keep an eye on him, then we will, until further orders say the contrary.''

 **And that's it for that chapter. Don't worry, the chapters will get longer as the story goes on.**

 **Notice that I have introduced most of the crew, plus another few characters. Can you find them in the order I quoted them ?**

 **Very good pilot and rival of person number 2.**

 **Everybody's favourite Aussie. He's become a bit less stupid in this story.**

 **Transforms into a poodle at night. Also thoroughly selfish and beastly.**

 **Rainbow monkeys...**

 **5\. Likes planes. Always finds an occasion to say bad puns**

 **Cool, calm girl. Always whacks person number 4 on the head with her red hat, when he says bad puns.**

 **Ex officer in charge of the decommissioning squad. Has a bad temper and thinks boys are all morons.**

 **8 and 9, who were with number 6 : Ex supreme leader and ex drill sergeant.**

 **10\. Person number 2's little brother.**

 **11\. Person number 5's little brother.**

 **12\. Person number 3's little sister**

 **Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 is here. Sorry it is not in the ten days delay, I had a lot of work to do during the holidays. Team fortress 2 is the property of Valve, the items from the workshop are the property of their owners, only the OC's are mine.**

Chapter 3 : Escape the base ! Part 1

 **12 PM, Old base in Alaska**

They raced towards the entry. When they arrived, everyone assumed their positions. At first, there was silence. Then they heard a faint rumbling, which then grew louder. They were coming, they thought, these metallic figures built up to be a copy of them, but without the things that made them human, their emotions, their spirit...

''I hate reproductions, said the striker.

-The worst thing is that there are painted in blue, said the snipers. Do these wankers know that were physically different from the other team ?

-Stop talking and start shooting, said the soldier.

And so the battle started:

First came a wave of Scout bots. They were just as rapid as the original one, and would dodge bullets easily. However, the mercenaries reacted quickly and successfully, most of the robots fell under the Engineer's sentry gun or the Demoman's grenades. Just when they had finished reloading, a second wave descended, this time made of pyros and soldiers. The sniper easily took out five or six of them, but the other were still advancing. The pyro, with his Afterburner, sent most of the rockets fired by the bots back where they came from, although the arsonist had to go to Engie's dispenser once or twice to refill the flamethrower's gas. Most of the others had taken positions behind some old crates or in the buildings. The soldier was firing madly, his L.A.W transforming each robot which was hit into a pile of scrap metal and wires. The demoman, from the top of one of the buildings, was shooting every machine which he saw, the grenades from his Loch'n Load spreading carnage every where they hit. He finally went out of ammo, and had to go to Engie's place. He dropped down into the battle, and mowed his way trough the enemy, pushing them out of the way with his Air Lock, or decapitating them with the Eyelander. After taking some ammo, he reassumed his position. The Spy was nowhere to be seen. However, some robots, while running, could be seen stopping very suddenly, then bursting into a show of sparks and flames, meaning that the Frenchman had put a sapper on them. The striker took care of the ones that passed, and busted some of the enemies spies, who were disguised as engineers. They managed to deal fine with the robots for a quarter of an hour, but then they started to be overwhelmed by the number.

''We must fall back, yelled the Engineer.

-No problem, yelled the Demoman. Oi, Sol, Py, we're out of that zone.

-WAIT A SECOND, PRIVATE, I NEED TO BREAK SOME OF THESE MAGGOTS'S SKULLS !''

He then executed a perfect rocket jump, blasting three of his opponents in the process. In the middle of his jump, he got out his Market Gardener. He raised it high over his head, then fell down on a Scout bot, burying the entrenchment tool deep into its metallic skull. Another one came towards the patriot, but its head was blasted to pieces. The American turned around, and sure enough, a familiar Aussie could be seen waving his hand in the distance, holding his huge sniper rifle dubbed the ''Metal Killer'' in the other.

''THANKS, BUSHMAN !''

In his nest, the marksman was chuckling. That mad Yankee had thanked him !

''Thank god, that wanka did it, he whispered.

-What's up, pardner, said the Engineer.

-Oh, Engie, I thought you were at spawn.

-Well...no, I was...euh...searching for my dispenser.

-Searching your dispenser ?''

Something is off about Drake, thought Sniper. He isn't that hesitant usually. And forgetting his dispenser ? Nah, that's suspicious. I'll spy check him.

''Oi !

-What, pardner ?

-Eat this !

The hunter delt him a good punch in the face, which made the Texan stagger. Then, sure enough, his body started to shimmer, finally revealing a robotic spy.

''Busted, piker !''

But, to the Sniper's surprise, the robot started to laugh. The Aussie was puzzled. That robot was about to get his kukri right up his a.. and was laughing. Whoever built them must have messed up with their A.I, he thought.

''Why are ya laughing ?

-Because, bushman, it said in a robotic voice, you are the one who is in a nasty situation, not me.

-Oh yeah ? Ya see that thing I've got in my hand. Well, I'm gonna shove straight trough ya head !

-I don't think so. Gentlemen !''

The Spy bot snapped its fingers. Instantly, five or six other robots decloacked, one of them was even laying on the floor in a seductive position.

''Awww, piss...

-Ho, ho. Human, you are going to experience our horrible ways of torture. Prepare for an endless spiral of pain, tears and finally death...

-Hey, froggie !

-Huh...what the h-''

The Spy-based robot didn't even have time to finish its sentence. It crumpled to the ground, a wave of spasms going trough its body, and a bullet stuck in its forehead. Its companions turned to the source of the voice, and saw another mercenary, a young white man with black combat boots on his feet, wearing a pair of brown golf pants. On his top, he wore a Wingman Jacket over a red long sleeved t-shirt. On each of his elbows and knees, he had some rollerblade protections. His face was mostly hidden behind a pair of black glasses, so it was impossible for the machines to see his eyes. He had a slightly upturned nose and a slightly thick under lip. On the top of his head, he had a funny hat which looked like the ones worn by the Royal Guards of Buckingham Palace. In his hands, he held a old looking combat rifle

-And who, said one of them, do you think you are ?

-I am the Striker, and I am going to kick your ass right back to the old dusty mine your metal was extracted from.

-You fool. We are more than you, and you think that you can win ?

-I've got a gun, and you've got knifes. It's like the iron pot against the earth one. Iron wins. And I'm not alone...

He looked at Sniper.

-Lets do it !

-Okay, mate !''

The fight was over quickly. The Aussie had just extracted his kukri from the chest of one of his opponents, while the Brit was reloading his rifle.

''Right, Snipes, I've got the others, they're retreating towards us, so if I was you I'd find another nest which is a bit secure.

-Nah, don't worry, mate, I'll be fine here. The robots can't get me at this hight. And I don't think I'm gonna have problems with Spies, not after the humiliation we've made them suffer.

-If you say so. I'm going to find the rest of the team, I guess that they will need me.

-Okay. Good luck down there.

-Say that for yourself, lad.''

The battle was going badly. Most of the mercs had been injured in a way or another. And the robots kept pouring in.

''All right, guys we need to retreat, said the Engineer ( The original one, not a spy, so don't worry. ), Is everyone there ?

-Aye, lad.

- _Présent._

 _-_ PRESENT, SIR, YES, SIR !

-Wait, where's Pyro ?''

The firebug was, indeed, missing.

''Ah, crap, someone said.

-We need to go and get him. Enough of our teammates have died already.''

They came back on their tracks. And indeed, they saw the pyromaniac in the distance. He was running towards them, and they we're not surprised when they saw what was pursuing him.

''GIANT ROBOT, yelled Soldier.

-Crikey, muttered the Sniper, it's HUGE !''

These robots were truly what you could call giants, worse even, titans. The average giant robot measures 12-14 feet tall. These one were at least at a height of 33 to 36 feet. The Engineer gestured to the pyromaniac :

''What is it, Gonzalo ?''

The merc took his mask off, a worried look on his face :

''There's at least 20 of them, he said, I started to burn them, but then the little ones started firing at me.

-I know, but we're retreating.

-What ? You mean we're going back to base ?

-No, we need the Administrator's agreement for that. What I mean is that we are going back to the safe zone, where Snipes and Striker are.''

Just as he had finished his sentence, the Brit came into view :

''Speak of the Devil, said the Spy.

-What's happening ? asked the rifleman.

-Take a look by yourself, said the Engineer.''

The Striker peeked behind the corner where the group was hiding for two seconds, then removed his head just as quickly.

''Holy crap, what do we do ?

-For instance, we try and find another place where we can settle up. Then, we will be able to attack them.''

The team then went back to find a place for a convenient stand. They finally established themselves

at what looked like an old control point. The Texan put a level 4 sentry on the point, then activated his wrangler. He added a level 4 Dispenser near his other contraception. He then placed a teleporter which led to spawn. The Demoman placed some stickybombs on the way where the robots were supposed to arrive. All the others took cover behind any old bit of wall or abandoned crate they could find. They waited a bit. Then they heard it. At first

they heard the heavy footsteps of the titans, then they heard the sound of the Pyrobots's flamethrowers. The first small robots appeared, they were immediately welcomed by a barrage of bullets, rockets and grenades. They continued to come, but were gunned down by the storm of lead which the mercs created.

''It's like making bacon, said Engie, too easy.

-Hum...do you call that EASY !? said Demo, pointing towards something which had appeared in his sight of vision.

The first titan had appeared just behind a corner. It was a Heavy bot armed with a pair of giant Hydraulic Hammers. It plodded slowly towards them, not even acknowledging the rockets or bullets which hit it. It came closer and closer, seeming unstoppable... 50 feet...40 feet...30 feet...20 feet...10 feet. All of a sudden, it stopped, it's head spun at 360 degrees, then exploded.

''Fiou, that was a close one'', declared soldier.

And then more titans appeared, accompanied by half a dozen tanks. Drake had to think quickly, or they'd all get killed.

''Retreat !

-What ? But we only started...''said the Soldier.

He started ranting that they should stay and die with honour, until Demo and Striker took him by the collar of his jacket, and dragged him towards the others who'd already move a bit further back.

They replaced themselves in the same formation they'd done before, but Engineer, this time, gave advice :

''Okay team, he said, we need to act more strategical. First, of all, for the titans, try to shoot them in the head. Secondly, there will be two groups, one that will try and take care of titans and tanks, the other one will try and destroy the smaller robots. This is probably the best chance we have of stopping them. So the groups are going to be : Soldier, Sniper ( Even if he's still in his nest, I'm sure

he''ll understand which targets are his priorities. ), Demoman, and I. The second group will consist of Pyro, Striker and Spy.''

They prepared themselves quickly, then waited. Sure enough, the robot army arrived, at their location, after a good five minutes. The mercs then engaged them in a violent confrontation between Man and Machine. The first Titan didn't even have time to realise what had happened to it, as a volley of rockets exploded against its face. It staggered, with a chunk of its head missing, but straightened up after a few seconds, only to be hit by a second volley of rockets which destroyed one of its fists which it had raised in front of its face for protection. It advanced a bit, then took a last volley which completely destroyed its head. Just beneath it, the Pyro and Scout bots were being slaughtered. Then, like out of nowhere, the first tank appeared. Their numbers quickly increased. The mercs were pushed back again. They started running towards the last point near Sniper's nest. All of a sudden, they heard a loud whistling in the air.

''They're throwing chunks of houses at us, said the Pyro, and I think that...

KERAASH !

The unlucky arsonist didn't have time to finish his sentence, as one the chunks landed on top of him.

''PYRO !, the team shouted.

A third mercenary had died. His teammates stood there for a minute, without speaking, shocked by the sudden death of their comrade. Then they heard the sound of the robots approaching. Instantly, they were all filled with pure and utter rage. No battle was ever filled with robot-induced violence as this one. The mercs had become demons. The Engineer, who was usually a calm person on the battlefield, seemed possessed. He was shooting the robots, yelling out in pure fury. The ones who got past his bullets, got their metallic skulls hit by his Jag. His sentry gun was firing madly, rockets spurting out at incredible speed. It was as if the killing machine was imbued with the rage of its creator. Soldier blasted robots to bits, occasionally jumping on them with his shovel. He would then bash their faces beyond recognition. The Demoman charged them, knocking them over and slicing them with his sword, while yelling insults all the time. Spy was nowhere to be seen, although some robots could be seen dropping to the ground all of a sudden. The Striker, finally, was using his assault rifle to deadly effect. Thanks to the upgrade station, the 7.62 caliber bullets pierced through the robot's metallic plates like they were paper. The mercs held alright against the robots. Then the tanks appeared, and the situation quickly changed.

''We are outnumbered and outgunned, said the Engineer, If we must get out here, it's now. Someone needs to go and see Scout.

-I'll go, said the Striker.

-All right come back as quickly as possible.

God, thought the Engineer, what the hell is she waiting for ?! At this rate, we'll all be dead when rescue arrives...if it ever does.

 **Workshop weapons :**

 **Afterburner** : Primary weapon for Pyro. Created by NeoDemon. Collection : Airborne Arsonist.

 **Metal Killer :** Primary weapon for Sniper. Created by nano393. Contest : Iron Gauntlet.

 **Air lock :** Secondary weapon for Demoman. Created by [RFM]RIKUSYO. Contest : Iron Gauntlet.

 **L.A.W :** Primary weapon for Soldier. Created by Colteh. Collection : Fortress vice.

 **OI ( Original Items ) :**

 **Painful Reminder :** Primary weapon for the Striker.

Description : The Painful Reminder is a semi-automatic rifle used by the Striker in the days when he was fighting his way through the undead hordes which infested the south of England. It's a mix of 3 or 4 real AR's : It's body looks like the FN FAL's. It's stock is the GALIL's. It's got a small rear sight. The flash hider looks like the one of the M16. It's hand guard is inspired by the MOE M-LOK handguard. The gun's body is grey, and all the rest of it is black. Last mention : there's a tiny British flag hanging from the muzzle. There are multiple knife marks on the hand guard, probably corresponding to the number of undead the Striker has killed.

The gun was given to him 1 month after he joined RED. This surprised him greatly, and he still doesn't understand how Mann. Co obtained it...

Damage in game : 45-90. Criticall : 180. Mini crit : 130.

Clip size : 20/200

Available quality : Normal, Strange, Unique.

Skin : Festive.

+11.11% of ammo transported.

+12.5% damage

+Gibbs the enemy player's head when killed.

-Slower fire rate

-33.33% ammo per clip.

 **Stock assault rifle :** Basically a revamped and modern version of the TF:Classic's Automatic rifle ( Old model ).

Damage in game : 40-80

Clip size: 30/180

Available quality : Normal, Strange, Unique, Decorated.

 **Royal Guard's Pride Hat :** Basically looks like the ''bearskin'' of the Royal Guard of Buckingham Palace.

 _''Are you British, and do you want to represent your country, when your in a foreign one, in the_ _most noble way possible ? Then this hat is for you...'' add._

 **Part 1 is finished. I decided to write this chapter in two parts, because it is going to be a long one, and I'm trying to update this story more often. The second part should arrive soon. As for the title of this story, you will discover it's meaning in chapter 4.**

 **I also advise you to go and check the different workshop items which will appear in the story, some of them are very good, and would be nice to see them added.**

 **Don't hesitate to review.**

 **Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 4 : SUn-Tzu said

**And here's chapter 4. This story has gone past the 300 views. Thank you so much ! I hope it will continue.**

 **PegasisterMLP : Thanks for your comment.**

Chapter 4 : Sun-Tzu said...

?

A dark room. A table. A dozen people sitting around it.

''The reunion can commence, said a teenager.

-Well, said a boy, the operation to capture the ''Teen'', was a failure. The TeenZ managed to repel the decommissioning squad, Sector E, Sector C and Sector V.

-Thank you, Number 2. Yes, Number 5 ?

-Take in note that the ''Teen'' managed to escape Sector V and destroy two D.O.H-D. .

-Hum...Yes, Number 4 ?

-Excuse me...why are they supposed to capture the bloody b*****d again ?

-His case is very interesting.''

The teenager got up, and started walking around the table.

''Think of it. Someone who visibly has been delightfulised, but still has a personality, isn't part of a group of some sort. Your classmate could be very useful in finding the cure to delightfulization.

-Ah, right...

-Anyway, have you done anything about him since then ? Number 5 ?

-Well, it seemed he wanted to join the TeenZ

-Oh, no, this is bad.

-So, Number 5 gave him the codes to access the TeenZ...although he doesn't need them now, they accepted him quickly after what he did yesterday. Anyway, now that he's with them, we'll be able to have an eye on him...

John was waiting in the lift. He was alone. The lift was slow (He was in it since ten minutes already). There was a boring tune which was playing, which sounded like some sort of thing composed for the Valve orchestra. He thought about the last 48 hours. Since his victorious action during the battle against the kids. He'd asked if he could join the TeenZ, and of course, they couldn't refuse (Although he still wondered why Abby had given him the codes just before.). He was quite pleased that he finally integrated a group. Most of his troubles would be over, he taught. And come on, being in a organisation with lasers and futuristic combat armours was awesome ! Just then there was a small ''Ding'' and the doors opened. He stepped out and found himself in a large hall bustling with activity. He could see teenagers actively doing their jobs, like some teen scientists who were visibly running towards their labs to build some sort of weapons, or some other guys clad in Battle Ready Armours, coming back from a mission. He advanced a bit, some of them occasionally looking at him for a few seconds, and then going back to what they we're doing. All of a sudden, a guy wearing some armour came towards him :

''Yo, dude, you're the new one aren't you ? You're a bit old for that.

-For what ?

-Well usually, teenagers who join us are towards thirteen, fourteen...

-I'll rise up quickly !

-We'll see about that.

-Don't worry, you'll be in the first loges to see that !''

The other teenager then led him through a series of corridors.

''Dude, how did you even get in ? The boy asked him.

-I went out bird hunting.

-What ?!

-Forget what I said.''

They soon arrived in a room where a certain number of other teenagers were testing Battle Ready Armour. A boy was putting on what seemed to be...a bra ? The guy was probably thirteen of fourteen, and seemed to be very excited. He then yelled :

''I feel it...the power...I want t kick some kids...muhaha...

-Ha,ha, you look like a dick !''

Everybody turned towards John. The ninjas eyed him with a mix of surprise and indignation :

''How...dare..you ?, said the teen with the B.R.A on.

-Sorry, mate, but you're ridiculous, said John, Ah mean, bras are for girls.

-Fool, this armour is the ultimate power, said the boy. His response only made John laugh more.

-I won't be laughing if I was you, dude, said his guide, cause you're going to have to wear one too.

-Ha ha...wait WHAT ?! Said John.

-Well, yeah, every TeenZ has got one.

-I'm not wearing that ! You can all kiss my ass before that happens.

-Sup to you mate, one them replied, but don't come crying when you're being thrashed around by the kids.

-That will never happen !''

 **Next Munday, 19:00, Cleveland.**

Bash !

John landed very hard on a dustbin. He got up slowly. His back hurted. One of his comrades landed next to him :

''You should have put it on like the rest of us...now you're paying the price.

-I don't need it ! Said John.

-Yeah'', said the guy ironically.

 **Tuesday, 20:00, Colombus.**

Zap, Zap !

John jumped, dashed then jumped again. The laser rays were closing in. He hoped over a trash can, tripped over but managed to catch himself. He staggered a bit. He turned into an alley, the KND vehicles tried to follow him. But they had to stop, the alley was too narrow for them. John then jumped over a wooden fence. He was safe...until he came onto the street behind the alley, we're he was greeted...by a S.T.A.N.K.

 _Oh, shit..._

John ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the massive machine. The KND tankers inside it aimed steadily at the teenager...and fired. The 2*4 shell landed 4 meters from John, who was flung into the air due to the explosion. He landed on the asphalt with a loud ''THUD !''.

''Ow !''

He turned back, and pulled out his laser pistol.

 _So much for a weapon..._

He'd have to beat the odds ! But before he could fire, a projectile struck the S.T.A.N.K, and it was set ablaze. The kids quickly came out, and ran away. John looked up to see who'd saved him...and wished the kids had just blown him up.

''Well, well, what a stupid boy...''

Since he'd met her, he had the impression that hags and witches REALLY existed.

 _Seriously, it had to be Pest..._

''Yer so stooopid you didn't even take proper equipment. Yer a idiot.

-I don't...don't...need it !''

 **Wednesday, 20:00, Cleveland.**

Womp !

The fist nearly hit him. He could see his friends in the air. They didn't risk anything, the KND robot could only swing its fists around in the air, without hitting anything. He, on the other hand, didn't have any jet boots. He just had a laser pistol and rifle, a slight protective plate of armour and a ninja helmet. He could just run, jump and hide. He continued dodging the robots punches. He was doing pretty good, until the pilot of the damn tin can swung a hit which hit a concrete wall. It crumbled. John ran, and managed to avoid the rubble. Unfortunately, he didn't avoid one of the gutters which had fallen of the building. He fell on his knees due to the pain. The robot turned towards him. It rose its fists. John rose his gun. Just as the robot was about to crush, he was lifted in the air by two other TeenZ. The robot's fist crushed into the ground, where it left a deep crater. John looked at his saviours : Abigail Lincoln and Hoagie Gilligan.

''Abby just doesn't understand why you're not doing the same thing as everyone else...

-Cause it's ridiculous...I mean literally...I'm a boy, do you think I'm going to wear girl's clothes ?!

-But, said Hoagie, it's a very good camouflage.

-Yeah...said John, ironically, it makes you look like a sissy. That's enough to discourage any person who wants to attack you.

-That's not nice, said Hoagie.

-I know'' said John.

 **Friday, 17:00, Cleveland**

John was in a pitiful state. He was bruised, battered and he had a few burn marks on his face. He was tired, one of his legs was hurting him and he just wanted to crash down on the ground and shut his eyes. His previous battles had greatly affected him. His reflexes weren't as sharp, he couldn't move as fast as he used to, so it wasn't a surprise when he was hit multiple times by laser beams or gum balls. Finally, one of the KND missiles sent him flying into an alley. For a moment, his eyes shut. He then reopened them quickly. And he saw something which made him worry about his future. His comrades were pinned to the ground. The KND troopers were surrounding them, there visibly was no escape. That meant only one thing : Arctic Prison, and if they were unlucky, decommissioning. Was this the end ? Surely not. He tried getting up, but he was not in good shape. Suddenly, he received something on the head. He hold it in his hand, and realised it was a B.R.A. He then looked up. The others TeenZ were pinned down by the...D.O.H-D. ?! He was really starting to hate these damn piles of junk !

''What are you waiting for ?!, yelled the boy, Put it on and save us !

-WHAT !?

-DO IT YOU FUCKING IDIOT !''

Losing his dignity or losing his memory...the choice was quick made. He looked up again, and this time, he could see the kid troopers advancing on him. He put the B.R.A on (he looked like a dick with it). How did it activate ? Oh, yes, by vocal recognition.

''B.R.A...activate.

-Oh, no, said one the troopers, quick, shoot him, before it deploys !''

John disappeared under a hail of gum balls, orange carts and lemon based grenades. When the smoke from the attack dissipated...John was nowhere to be seen.

''Where is he, said one of the operatives.

-Right above you, you slimy little maggot.

-Wha-'', but the kid had no time to answer as we was pulled out of the way by one of his friends, before a laser beam hit the place where he was standing just seconds before.

''Fire, fire, said the kid, we need to take down that guy.

-Take me down ? This is MY block. You are not welcome on MY block.''

The KND troopers fired. They missed him completely. John discovered that the B.R.A, althought it made him look like a girl, had a lot of advantages, like an integrated jet pack, and even a cool music library.

 _If only they'd do a version for boys..._

He managed to hit one of the operatives in the chest with a laser beam.

''Ass kicked, shorty pants.''

He then hit another one in the legs.

''Never bring sweeties to a battlefield. War isn't a game, kid.''

He then proceeded to dodge and respond to a few more shots. He took out two more KND operatives, before the rest of them retreated behind one of the D.O.H-D. .

 _Alright, let's give that soup can hell..._

He then proceeded to launch one of the tiny rockets included in the Battle Ready Armour. Of course, it struck the 2*4 vehicle in a critical point, and of course it fell down.

''Hooah !''

The other operatives were about to fire in response when one them yelled :

''Alert, teen bikes in approach !

-Retreat, yelled another one. We are in no condition to fight in these odds.''

The KND troopers then picked up their wounded, boarded one of their rescue S.C.A.M.P.E.R and flew away as quickly as they could.

 _I bloody hope they won't be coming back soon. I'd like to have a week-end free of KND interference..._

Just then, he heard some TeenZ bikes landed behind him.

''Crud, said a guy, am I seeing what I'm seeing...Hey guys, he's finally put it on !''

The voice, due to it's Australian accent, was easily recognisable as the one of Wallabee Beatles.,

''Hi, John, said a girl, how is it going ? Nice and all ? Oh, you finally put on a B.R.A. You look funny...and angry. Did somebody rob your dignity ?

-No, Sanban, not at all..., He said ironically.

 **A few hours later, in a club near the mall**

''So you finally overcame your ''bra'' hating attitude.

-Yes, Hoagie, I did.

 _I just hope I hadn't..._

-So anyway, said Abby, could you tell us a bit more about you. Your introduction to the class two weeks ago was a bit...incomplete for us. Could ya tell us about your background ? How was your life back in England ?

-My life...honestly...was shit ! To my remembrance, I've had very few friends during my life. I was always the ''lone'' guy that everyone would...how can I say...''evade''.

-Aww...how sad, said Kuki.

-Did ya have any problems with bullies, mate ?, said Wally.

-Yeah, a few times. The last one who tried was kicked in his privates, punched in the stomach then in his nose, and finally beaten up on the floor like a sack of potatoes.

 _Although the bastard had still managed to give him a black eye and a few bruises..._

-Good job, said the Aussie.

-Say, said Hoagie, we've noticed you don't smile a lot. You always have a sort of pout. Are you always unhappy ?

-No...I'm normal...

-You mean you pout a bit when you're in a normal mood.

-Just drop it. I'd like to have a normal week-end please.

-Hey, don't be aggressive, Abby meant no harm, said the Afro-American girl. Anyway, you say you were all alone back in Britain. Looks like you were more lucky here, because we consider you now as our friend. If you have a problem, we'll be there to help you...

 **And that's it for chapter 4. Chapter 5 is in the writing, sadly I have a lot of tests these days (training for the French BAC), so I don't know yet when I'll be able to publish it. Chapter 5 : Expect kisses (although not because of romances) and vampires.**

 **PS : I made another reference to TF2. Try and guess which class will be referenced in the next chapter.**

 **Until next time.**


	5. Chapter 5 : High-school survival

_Chapter 5 : High-school survival_

 **Finaly, I'm back...after a month of hard working and writing. Enjoy and don't forget to comment.**

The sun was shining. There was a rainbow in the sky. Birds were singing. Everything looked beautiful. For once, thought John. He got dressed, made his usual morning routine (breakfast and all.). He then went to brush his teeth. He quickly went back into his room (He'd forgotten one of his books.). He then spotted his B.R.A on his bedside table. Just seeing it made him want to destroy furniture. Five minutes later, he was going to school. He arrived a bit more confident than the previous days, for he already had a few plans to integrate in the school's micro-society.

Today he'd be going to the baseball club. It was the sport that interested him the most (Football wasn't his thing, and he'd heard cases grown up men who suffered from brain problems, because of the concussions they'd suffered in their youth. Hockey wasn't a good idea either, he barely knew how to skate.). Baseball, on the other hand, was a bit more familiar, since he'd played cricket back in England. He was searching for a place to enlist, when he realised how agitated everyone was. Everybody was whispering. The general sense in the air was one of danger and caution. He advanced a bit more, then saw an small crowd of teenagers in front of a row of lockers. Some teen ninjas and hall monitors were guarding something...or someone. He came towards them, but one of the guards stopped him :

''Sorry, man, you're not authorized to see that.

-See what ?

-Top secret.

-Don't be stupid, I can clearly see someone lying on the floor.

-So what ? You don't pass.''

While he was arguing, Abigail Lincoln arrived.

''What's up, John, she said.

-Hi, Abigail, what happened ?

-What...? Eh, yeah, there's been an...accident.

-An accident, really ? What kind ?

-Well, it happened very fast. We just arrived when we heard someone scream. And then we found said person on the floor.

-Who is it ?

-Rita Malworth.

-Who is she ?

-She came here last year. She's a kinda' popular girl...

-Just like you ?!

-Not...really like Abby !''

John then looked at the girl on the floor. She was wearing preppy clothes. She had long, straight blonde hair. She was abnormally pale, and it seemed she had applied a very large sample of red lipstick on her lips.

''She isn't dead, is she ?

-No, she's just unconscious. We were going to take her to the infirmary when you arrived''.

Just as Abby finished, they heard commotion :

''She's waking up.'', said one the guards.

Indeed, the girl had risen from her unconscious state, and was now looking at everyone around her

''What...what happened ?

-You were lying unconscious on the floor, said Abby.

-Rea...really ?

-Yeah. What happened to you ?

-I...I don't remember. I was going to open my locker, when someone...or more something, which I couldn't identify approached me. Then everything went black.''

After she had said this, Abby ordered one of the guards to escort her to the infirmary. Then all the teenagers, including Abby and John, went to their respective lessons. But they didn't know that they were all in danger.

The guard escorted the girl towards the infirmary. She visibly was starting to feel better, the boy remarked, as she was starting to seem a bit less weak, and was even smiling. _Good then,_ he thought,

 _at least that will spare some problems for the nurse_.

They arrived in front of the infirmary. He turned his away, to go back to his classes, when she called him :

''Hey..I wanna tell you...I'm thankful for what you did...I'd like to express my gratitude for accompanying me.''

 _Whoa_ , thought the boy, _she's thanking me for that !? That doesn't sound like her. She's suppose to be a queenbee. People like her never say thanks !_

But he thought a bit more.

 _This could be my lucky day !_

''All right, he said, how who'd you express your gratitu-''

Before he could continue, she pulled him and kissed him. He immediately was on Cloud 9. He couldn't believe it. One of the most famous girls in the school was kissing him. He was feeling her tong and his interlace, and god was it good. But instantly after he felt something else. It was like something was creeping in his mouth. He immediately tried to pull away from her, be he couldn't. She hold him tightly in a sort of supernatural embrace. He tried to break free, but it was useless. He could feel this evil presence into him, from his mouth to the rest of his body. He started to feel more and more weak. He finally passed out, still in the girl's arms. Her eyes then glowed red. The boy's eyes then opened. They were red as well.

''You are now my minion.

-Yes, mistress, he droned.

-You will now do as I say.

-Yes mistress.

-Very good. Now, go and spread the CURSE !

-Very well, mistress.''

He then ran into some obscure corridor to perform his evil duty. The teenage girl laughed maniacally, then disappeared in her turn.

The day was boring, as usual. Lessons, lessons ! Although John was a very good student. School was one of the things he hated the most. He was going trough the corridors to the cafeteria, in a big crowd of other students. The air bustled with activity : teens were chatting, texting and...kissing.

 _That's weird, he thought, everyone's behaving as if it's Valentine's day, but we hardly started October. Oh well. It's American I guess._

After eating, he went to the baseball club. He asked which days and which hours were the training sessions, then proceeded to register himself. The coach gave him instructions of where to get his equipment, how some things worked, and when the next competition took place.

After this, he went out of the school buildings to walk a bit. While walking, he though back to the start of the year.

 _Well, not many people saw my eyes. At least nobody thinks I'm a creep. Who knows : Abby, Hoagie, Kuki, Wally, Rachel (?), Patton and Pest. Only seven people out of what ? Six hundred. Not a bad quota. But let's concentrate on something else, my dear John. You're ''integrated'' in a group (Bravo !), and if you're integrated in a group, you must participate in its general functioning. First, find a way to submit projects to these nerdy scientists (I already have one or two gun ideas which I think would be worth testing.). Step two : rise up. By executing step one, and by succeeding in all the missions I'm given (Knowing that the TeenZ have got a quota of success of 37%), I should be able to get up to a good position rapidly. Looks like this year is gonna be fun !_

After finishing his little walk, he went back into the school, expecting a huge crowd of teens in the halls.

Instead, he found them empty.

 _Oh, please, don't tell me there's been another KND attack._

He rushed towards the cafeteria. Nobody in it ! He rushed trough some of the halls. No sound ! No teachers speaking, no students chatting. That was very awkward ! He felt a chill down his spine.

 _Alright ! Find the teachers. They probably know where all the others are. They're probably in the principle's office for some sort of meeting about school budgets or lessons._

He rushed to it, and when he came, he could see some forms behind the sort of glass window on the door. He knocked on the door. No response. He knocked again. Still nothing. He turned the door knob. Thank God, it wasn't locked. He opened the door, and went it.

''Excuse me, Mr Pricinpal, I'd like to know where are the othe-''

He stopped dead in his tracks. Every teacher was there. But something wasn't normal. They weren't moving. And there eyes. There eyes were...creepy. They were pale, and they didn't seem to have pupils or iris. They weren't doing anything, they were petrifying. Even the principal was as still as a statue. Alright, there's only one thing to do.

He went towards the principal, and gave him a slight slap.

''Sir, do you know de way ?''

Nothing. He slapped him harder. Still nothing. He then took a jug of water which was on his desk, and poured it over him. No reaction. John went nuts.

''Are you going to snap out it, you old geezer.''

He then punched him. Still nothing. But John then looked at his hands. There was blood on them. Then he looked at the principal. His nose was bleeding.

 _Oh, shit..._

He had to do something. He took two handkerchiefs, and stuffed them up the old man's nose. Then he went back towards the door. But wait a second the man's mouth was shut ! He'd end up having no more oxygen. He quickly came back, and yanked the hankies out the principle's nostrils. Instantly, blood spurted out, onto his fingers and the man's clothes. Oh man ! His day couldn't get worse. He hastily tried to find something to wipe it off. The curtains ! He used them, but there were still blood stains on the man's jacket. He tried finding other solutions.

John finally came out of the pricipal's office. He'd just made the hole room a mess, then rearranged at best. It was long, but at least the teachers, if they ever came out there actual state, would hopefully notice nothing.

Still nobody in the halls. There was only one place, then, where his classmates would be. The gymnasium, where pep rallies took place. He burst out of the school, and rushed in its direction. When he came in front of it, he found all the doors were closed. He approached, then heard something. Someone speaking. A girl. A girl was speaking with a microphone in the stadium. He tiptoed towards the doors at the front. He then learned against a wall and started listening :

''My minions...today is the day when we rise. My family has been waiting for this moment for years decades. I am one of the last of an ancient race, which relinquishes in LUST. Today, you will go out of this school, and spread the CURSE ! Then, the entire world will become HELL !''

He then heard the crowd cheer.

He was in a school of Satanists ! How bad could his day become.

''And the first step towards this...

 _What was the first step ?_

''...is to capture the boy who is hiding behind the front doors.''

 _Wait, that's me !_

He heard 500 people get up at once. His mind told him three words.

 _Run, you fool !_

Wally was still wondering how his day, which had surprisingly started well, could get this messed up. First, he'd witnessed a lot of people kissing in a very short period, yet it wasn't Valentine's day. It didn't take a dumb guy (Although Wally was far from being one.) to think there was something fishy. Then everybody else started to go the gymnasium for some odd reason, even Abby and Hoagie. And that's when s**t started to happen. When the other saw that he and Kuki weren't following them, they'd started going ballistic. First, they'd tried to grab them. Then a boy tried to kiss Kuki. He'd punched him, then he and his girlfriend had dashed in the opposite direction. The few weirdos who'd pursued them were gaining on them, until they were shot down by Rachel, she too had survived the madness. She was accompanied by Herbie Hart, one of the nerds. They then hid in one of the classrooms on the first floor. From there they saw John Dearmaadat go to the stadium.

''What is he doing ? Said Rachel, Don't tell me he is going towards the stadium ? Oh, god...

-The bloody idiot, said Wally, he's gonna get himself p****d.

-We can't do anything, Rachel added. If we try to go and get him, we'd risk putting ourselves in danger. If all five of us become like the others, then this school is doomed, for I think that we are the last ones who have not been ''transformed''. I am sorry, but for better chances of survival, we're going to have let John fend off for himself. Don't think I'm heartless, John doesn't merit that...It's just it's too dangerous...''

They then witnessed the Anglo-German sneaking near to the doors of the stadium.

''Poor guy...'', said Herbie.

They were about to plan their next move, when Kuki, who was still watching John's movements, spoke :

''Oh my God... Oh my...

-What is it Kooks, Wally asked his girlfriend, What happened ?

-Holy s**t, they're pursuing him, yelled Herbie.

-My god, said Rachel, that is not good...really not.

-Ah must say, he runs fast, said Wally, look at the distance he's putting between them and him ! The guy's a human bullet !

-Which sport did he want to practice already...baseball ? asked Rachel.

-Yeah, I think it's that, replied the Australian.

-Bad news, said Kuki, he's going for the school which means...

-...that they're going to follow him into it !, said Rachel, so we'd better get ready.''.

John opened the door, went into the building, then bolted the doors shut. He ran onwards, not even looking back ( Although he heard the door's glass panes shatter.). He was looking for a suitable place to hide, when he came in front of the janitor's closet. He darted into it, then placed a chair on the door knob, so they couldn't get in. He then looked around a bit, to see if there wasn't anything which could be useful. He found nothing, just pots of painting, some cleaning stuff...until he opened an old dusty cupboard, where he found a very interesting item : an old civilian gas mask. That would protect his face a bit. He put it on. It was a bit uncomfortable. He tried speaking :

''Well, John, you're one handsome bastard''

But the only sound which he heard coming out of his mouth was a mumble.

 _Oh, great, now I sound like a psycho._

He also found a lighter. That's when a brilliant idea (or a mad one, depending on your point of view) came to him. There were pots of paint in here, huh ? He looked through them, and found what he wanted : a paint sprayer. And it was full. Finally, he took some cleaning gloves which were lying on another shelf (To protect his hands from burn marks.). He was now ready. He kicked the door open. They'd been waiting for him, b*****ds.

The four of them had moved from the class where they'd barricaded themselves. They were moving through the first floor's corridors, trying to find the principal's office.

''Hey, don't you hear anything ?'' said Wally.

It seemed that there was a terrible racket on the ground floor. They could hear shrieks, and lots of people running. They also heard people yelling :

''Get him...he must not escape, or the Mistress will skin us alive.

-We must neutralize.''

It seemed John was giving their-now vampires-friends one hell of a time.

 _What's he using_ , they all thought.

The answer came quickly :

''Ah, he burned me !'' they heard a voice they recognised as one of the hall monitors.

The group stopped dead in their tracks.

''Wait, he created a home-made flamethrower !? Said Wally.

-Doesn't astonish me, Rachel said, he probably went into the janitor's closet. There's enough chemical products in there to destroy the whole school.

-Really ? But he might kill someone !, exclaimed Herbie.

-I don't think so, said Rachel, If he made what I think he did, it isn't dangerous enough to kill someone. Although he could give them some very nasty burns.

-At least they're not interested in us, said Kuki, there's none of them who have come up here visibly.''

With that, the group continued towards the principal's office.

John ran down the hallway. They continued pursuing him. He turned towards them, took the lighter, put it in front of the paint spray, then lit it. He then pressed the sprayer's trigger. Instantly, a small burst of flame erupted from it. That was enough to make them stop dead in their tracks. They started hissing at him. He noticed that their eyes had turned red, and they'd seemed to have grown fangs.

 _Great, now my classmates are vampires...at least they're not Satanists !_

''Piss off, you creeps. Go and eat some garlic !

-Sorry, dude..., said Patton

-...but we're gonna have to bring yer back to the Mistress, hissed Fanny.

-Well I'm certainly not going to surrender to you, you hexe !''

And with that, he shot one more fire burst at them, and then turned around and dashed in the direction of a set of stairs that lead to the first floor. He ran up the stairs like crazy. To his horror, they were still following him. He came to the second floor. They were doors to the corridor. He had to find a way to shut them without them opening it after. Luckily, he spotted one of the school's many fire axes. He broke the protective glass, then took the axe and jammed it inside the door knobs. They started banging on it, but they couldn't open it. One problem solved...or so he though. After a moment he realised that some of them were going downstairs. He put his ear to the ground and listened. Then he understood. The b******s were going for the doors at the other end of his corridor. What a nightmare ! He rushed into a class to shut himself up...but then realised that he needed a key to lock the door.

 _Dear God...do you hate me ?!_

Only one last chance : the principal's office. He ran down a few corridors, then arrived in front of it. It was shut ! Bloody adults ! What a bunch of cowards ! He couldn't believe it. They got out of their ''statue'' state, and they'd locked themselves in.

He heard them break through the doors, shrieking and hissing. He didn't have much time ! Suddenly he remembered that there wasn't only one fire axe per floor. There probably was one near the office. He went a bit further, and found one. It was a bit more rusty than the one he used to block the doors.

He wrenched it from its glass casing, then went back to the door. He could still hear them. They were going through the classes searching for him. He lost no time, and started chopping at the door.

The first hit dealt a crack in the door. The second made a small hole, the third made it bigger...the fourth permitted him to put his arm through and unlock the door...but he never had time to do that. All of a sudden, a girl sprang out before him and shrieked :

''Ah, get away you monster ! I'm warning you I'm armed !

-Kuki, wait it's me John !''

But the only thing she could hear was a muffled mumbling. She pulled the trigger. The laser beam went straight into his face. He fainted.

''Good thing you put your laser pistol on stun mod...

-I didn't recognize him...he had a weird mask on him.

-I bloody hope he's going to wake up soon...it's becoming more and more hard to repel them.''

His eyes opened all of a sudden.

''Oh, good, you're awake, said Kuki. Guys, he's awake.

-Good, replied Wally, who was pushing some furniture against the door to the office, because we need to get out of there...and fast. They're going to break through in a short moment.

-There's only one door in the office, said John, and our ''friends'' are waiting behind it.

-We're not going by the door, said Rachel, but by the windows.

-The windows ? Guys, we're on the first floor. Do you really want to break your legs ?

-Of course not, silly, said Kuki, we're teen ninjas remember, which means we have a very sophisticated equipment, which includes jet boots and Battle Ready Armour. You do have one of those, don't you ?''

John smiled nervously. Damn it !

''Cruddy idiot ! That makes one more person to transport ! Why didn't you take it for once'' said Wally.

-That's not important, Rachel replied, as long as everyone gets out of this office.''

The first one to fly out was Kuki. Then it was Wally who was holding onto John. Finally, Rachel came out of with Herbie. They ran away from the building, and went towards the football pitch. Once there they stopped, and started discussing about the whole matter.

''Already, all our friends have turned into vampires..., said John.

-Why vampires ? Asked Herbie.

-Well I mean...red eyes and fangs...that stuff..., replied the Anglo-German.

-But how could they have turned into monsters ? What's the cause of all this !, said Kuki.

-Haven't you remarked something, ya cruddy idiots ?! Everyone was kissing !, said Wally.

-Well that could be a possibility..., Rachel said, where were each of you when it started ?

-I was with Wally, said Kuki.

-I was searching for a game on the Internet, said Herbie.

-I was having a walk, said John.

-And I was doing some homework, said Rachel, which explains why we survived. Any more information ?

-They're lead by a girl, said John, I think she's the original ''vampire''.

-Then we have to find some way to stop her. If we want to save our classmates, we need to neutralize her, said Kuki, that's the way we usually deal with vampires.

-Ok, so this ''vampire'' transformed our friends into monsters by kissing one person who then kissed another one and so on...We have two options : Or it's some sort of virus which transformed them, and we're going to have to find a cure, or it's magic, and this is going to make our task much more easy, for I have already an idea in this case, Rachel declared.

-Which is ? The others aid.

-If it's something to do with magic, then I guess that they are all connected by some sort of network, a link between each person. If the link is broken in a place..., Rachel stated.

-...Then it might ''cut'' something in the rest of the network, John said.

-We need to cut off this ''network'' entirely, but how ?, said Herbie.

-By curing the first person who that girl kissed, Rachel asserted.

-I might have an idea who it could be, said John, Rita Malworth or the guy who escorted her to the infirmary.

-You were there ?, asked Wally

-Yes, I even had a discussion with Abigail, said John, Now I'm wondering...She told me Rita Malworth arrived here last year...

-So what ?, said Wally.

-Well, think about it, if the vampire wanted to spread it's curse, would it take it's time or would it start immediately when it's in a place with other people.

-If I was a vampire, said Rachel, who could transmit its curse by just a kiss, I think I'd start as soon as I could.

-Exactly, replied John, and we know this ''vampire'' is a girl. So Malworth arrived a short time ago...and we found her unconscious in one the halls this morning. She was then accompanied to the infirmary by a guard...And then everyone started kissing...We must find both of them : her and the guard. But we also have a bigger problem at the moment : What happens if they go out of the school, they could infect teenagers WORLDWIDE ! First the US, then the rest of America, then Europe, Africa...

-It's okay, said Rachel, we understand. Someone needs to go and check the school's gates...as only three of us here dispose of Battle Ready Armour, I propose to go and check...

-Okay'', the others said

The girl then activated her armour, and took off in direction of the school's gates.

''Right, I suggest we move as soon as she gets back...it's not secure..., suggested John.

-Okay, mate'', said Wally.

They waited a bit, until Kuki's communicator started beeping.

''It's alright, said Rachel, the gates are shut.

-Good, replied Kuki, come back quickly.''

She was starting to fly towards them, but all of a sudden, six other figures rose into the air, and caught up with her

''Oh no, said Wally, they can use BRAs ! How is it possible !?''

They looked in horror as Rachel was pulled down to the ground. Her and her attackers disappeared from their view behind the gymnasium. Kuki tried desperately to contact her. There was no response.

''Guess we're alone then, said Herbie.

-Incoming !, yelled John.

Some teenagers had entered the stadium, and they didn't look friendly.

''Let's get out of there, said Wally, and bloody quick !''

The group dashed away from the massive group that was flooding into the stadium. They ran towards the school. Once in it, they started barricading the doors, and blocking off a few corridors.

''Okay, said Herbie, what should we do ?

-Continue with the plan, said Kuki.

-Which is ?

-Take down that b***h'', the girl responded.

John was exploring the corridors. His ''vampire'' classmates had done quite a mess. Some lockers had been torn open, their content thrown on the floor. There were snacks on the floor, spilled soda and quite a lot of garbage. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Near one of the open lockers, he spotted a strange reddish powder on the floor.

''Hey, come and look at that, he told Wally.

-What is it, mate ?, said the Australian.

-What's that ?

-Looks like...red powder. Smells strange. Hang on...I think I know what it is. It's something that our nerd scientists have been working on...They call it S.T.U.F.F.

Teen Ninjas S.T.U.F.F : Super Tonic Unleashes Fictional Fantasy.

''Ah, right, said John.

-Yeah, so basically, don't go around sniffing it.''

Just as they'd finished talking, Kuki came running towards them. She seemed very frightened.

''Ohmygodohmygodohmygod...They broke in...and they got Herbie.

-Crap, said John, now were three.''

They heard the monsters coming. They were cornered, they couldn't get to any other corridor. Their ex-friends were slowly advancing towards them.

''Now, now, one of the teenagers said, in a evil tone, we don't need to be violent...you can just drop your weapons, and surrender. We won't hurt you...just a bit.

-Alright, I've had enough, said John, If you come near anyone of us, I swear I'm going to shove that axe somewhere...

-No need to be rude, said one them, just put your weapons down...and get ready for torture !

-You asked it me...oh, s**t...I'm slipping...OH CRAP !''

He slipped...and fell head first into the S.T.U.F.F. But he didn't have his gas mask on. Because of that, he inhaled a certain quantity of the reddish looking powder. He got up and prepared for the incoming fight. But something wasn't right.

''Is everything Ok ?, asked Wally.

-Yeah, said John, it's okay.''

He was lying.

The ''infected'' students closed on them, so John put his gas mask on. Instantly, his vision went blurry.

 **John's POV.**

His vision cleared. Whatever he'd taken, it wasn't good. Although, he felt quite cheerful. Even happy. Then he looked around him. The world was entirely pink and red. He could see butterflies everywhere and even grass...in a school. That's when he looked up at his attackers. To his surprise, they didn't look like monsters any more. They looked friendly and welcoming. Wait, where they beckoning him :

''Wanna party, dude ?, one of them asked.

-Sure, he answered.

-Well, come on them.''

John started dancing, singing and generally laughing with the others. Then his vision started to go into a blur again. The vivid colours of the environment slowly disappeared...and he felt someone punch him in the temple. His world went black.

 **The others POV**

At first, Wally and Kuki had stared in utter horror when they saw John moving slowly towards the ''vampires''. It seemed that the S.T.U.F.F had done something very bad to him. He didn't even take his axe or any kind of weapon to fight them. He just...rambled towards them, as if he was accepting his fate. However, the Aussie boy and the Japanese girl didn't see what was coming next. Their new friend was advancing, like a lamb to the slaughter, towards the hissing mob in front of them (who were moving in for the kill). Then all of sudden, the situation went pear shaped, for their transformed friends at least. John sort of snapped out his ''dormant'' state...and went on a bloody frenzy. They saw him moving quickly towards them, he'd become a blur. He then engaged the fight. Kuki thought she was going to be sick. Wally wasn't, he was tough, but he still felt grossed out by what was happening in front of him. During 30 seconds, the only thing they heard were blood curdling screams, punches, one or two bones cracking and an axe burying itself in one or two body parts.

''Oww...this guy punches hard, hissed one of the TeenZ, We need to...ooof.

-My arm ! He broke my arm !

-Aaaaaaaaah ! He sliced into my foot !

-Huhuhuhuhu'', laughed John. The fact that he was laughing through his gas mask made him look like a psycho.

One of the teens tried to get up. But his head butted against something. He looked up. A paint sprayer. With a hand holding a lighter in front of it.

''Oh s**t...'', was the only thing he could say before taking a blast of fire to the face. He screamed, while John continued to laugh.

At the end, all of the enemy students were on the floor. All of them were in bad shape. Six or seven looked like they needed to go to the hospital.

Then John started turning around. Wally rushed. He didn't want John to go ''psycho'' mode on him and Kuki. Before John could react, Wally brought down his fist as hard as he could on his temple. The boy crumpled instantly.

''Kooks, remind to punch the teen scientist who created the S.T.U.F.F...that thing needs to be seriously reworked on.''

Kuki was checking on the others teenagers. She examined the teenager who John burnt with his home-made flamethrower. Luckily, the guy had his B.R.A activated, which meant he had a helmet on. He was also wearing some protective glasses, so his eyes weren't damaged. On the other hand, his mouth, chin and cheeks had suffered second degree, maybe even third, burns. He needed urgent care, that was why they had to take down the girl behind all this.

They were two now. With a dead weight on their hands.

''We can't leave him there, said Kuki, they'll probably tear him to shreds when they see what he did to these guys earlier.

-We need to hide him. But how...first, let's get out of this building.

-And we still don't know how to resolve this crisis...What did Rachel say already ?!

-Something to do with a link...We need to break it.

-That means we have to reverse the curse...on the first person she kissed.

-That's the problem...Only John really knew what he looked like.

-We still have to find him somehow...but first let's get out of this building. I can hear them approaching.''

The two teens went out of the building, they had to run as fast as they could, the other ones were on their tail. They stopped a bit.

''We need to think about a plan, said Wally, cos I don't think we'll be able to hold off much longer.

-At least we know the guards which were there. We just have to know which one in the three it is !''

They sat there for a short moment, when an idea suddenly popped up in Kuki's head.

''I have a plan...and a very good one !, she exclaimed.

She quickly explained it to him.

''That plan is awesome, said the Aussie boy, let's put it to execution''.

The first step in their plan was to take John's gas mask and hoodie off. Then, they took John's unconscious and dumped in one of the big trash cans which were outside the school building.

''Right, said Kuki, now to find ''patient zero''.

-Ok, but remember, they can still use their Battle Ready Armours, so we must act bloody swiftly. We must have the advantage of surprise.''

They activated their BRAs, and started flying about, as silently as they could. Kuki took out some special binoculars, then started scanning the crowd of faces.

''There...I can see them...the three of them...luckily, they're close to one another. You'll have to act fast.

-Okay, I'll do my best.''

He was about to go, when she approached him :

''Hey, she said.

-What ?!

-Good luck.'', she responded. All of a sudden, she pulled him into a hug and kissed him

''And don't die, she said.

-No problem, love.'', he said.

Wally then sped down towards the group down below. He activated the mini tractor beam integrated into the Battle Ready Armor. He managed to catch all of them, but it was hard. One, there was a massive crowd of jeering and hissing teenagers just under him. Two, he had to manage flying with three people imprisoned at once in his tractor beam. He flew back towards Kuki as quickly as he could, he could hear some of them activating their battle ready armour and trying to follow him. When he arrived towards her, she showed him a small building where they could barricade themselves. Once in there, Wally started piling all he could in front of the door and windows. Meanwhile, Kuki was interrogating their prisoners.

''All right...one of you can probably guess why he is there ?!''

They kept hissing and snapping at her. She didn't have time to continue interrogating them, because Wally then interrupted her very rudely. He took one of the prisoners by his collar and started menacing him

''Alright, ya piece of crud, which one of you is the one who spread all this s**t ? Ya better make your minds up before I punch you into next Friday !

-How dare you, said one of them, I'm the fist one the Mistress kissed...I'm her favo-''

He immediately shut his mouth when he realised what he'd said.

''Thank you for your cooperation.'', said Kuki.

With that, Wally knocked them all out. Kuki then took John's gas mask and hoodie and placed them on the teen who'd said he was the first one to get kissed.

''Alright, step two...Let's hope Rachel was right.'', said Wally.

All of a sudden, they heard a terrific sound, something being ripped off its supports : The roof. They were ripping off the roof.

 _They must be using their BRA's_ , though Wally, _there's no way they could have done this with their normal strength._

The high school students started flooding into the small building. Wally and Kuki tried to fight as much as they could, but they were finally overwhelmed, and their turned friends tied them up.

''Well, well, what have we got here ?, said Rita Malworth, who was sitting on a makeshift throne, right in the middle of the gymnasium.

-Humans who haven't been turned yet, my Queen, said Hoagie.

-Oh really ? These two ? Anyone else ?

-We found two people knocked out, but we also found the person who was responsible for the wounds of at least thirty of our brothers.'', he showed her a body which looked like it was John's.

Same hoodie, same gas mask.

''Good work, my minions, said the vamp, Now, who should I start with ? The dumb Aussie or the mad German ?

-Don't touch him, Wally yelled, I'm the one who made all this.

-Too late !''

Instantly, she jumped on ''John'''s body, and slightly pulled off his gas mask, so as to access the boy's mouth. She then kissed him, for three or four seconds, then let him go. She then turned towards Wally. She was going to kiss him as well, but all of a sudden, ''John'' spoke :

''Whoa...I got the impression I've been sleeping for ages.''

His voice sounded normal.

''Wait, what ? Said Rita, No...it's not possible !''

She rushed towards him, and ripped his gas mask off. The face under the mask wasn't John's...but the teenager who Wally and Kuki had knocked out. Rita Malworth's face, on the other hand, was a mix of shock, anger and fear. Wally and Kuki then turned around, and saw something extraordinary : All the students who'd been subject to Rita's curse were glowing.

''Rachel was correct...Hooray, we're saved !'', yelled Wally.

The students progressively reverted back to a normal state. They started looking at Rita Malworth.

''I can all explain...

-No you can't, said Wally.

-She's the reason for today's chaos, said Kuki, she's a sort of ''vampire'' who's been turning you all into her slaves.

-Really ?, Hoagie stated.

-Can you reply to that, Rita ?''', declared Abby.

The girl looked around her. She could see everyone staring at her. She cursed.

''I'll be back...

-What was that ?'', said Wally.

But the girl had disappeared in a puff of smoke, the only thing they heard was a evil cackle

 **Well, that took a long time to write. I'm sorry if I didn't post it as soon as I promised, but I had a lot of work to do. Also, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. If you found my references, or think that some of the characters are too OOC, don't hesitate too tell me in the comments. For the rest of the story, I don't intend to make John the leader of the Teen Ninjas, or even a major member. In a few chapters, he'll be out, and he will probably become an antagonist to the gang and their siblings.**

 **Until next time !**


	6. Chapter 6 : Texas mayhem

**Chapter 6 : Texas Mayhem**

 **Friday the 6th of October, 20:00**

''Let's get this straight, said the principal, I want a inquiry to be made.

-But why ?, said one of the teachers

-Because weird things have been happening lately. Last Tuesday, you were all in my office for no reason. I had the impression I'd come out from a long sleep. My nose was bleeding, and my office was in a right mess. Then I learnt that a student had gone missing and another one was found unconscious in a trash can. And of course, none of the students were able to tell me what had happened !

-This is indeed something unusual, stated one of the French teachers, you are right, sir, we need to find this missing teenager...and fast, or this school could take a very bad blow to its reputation !''

 **Meanwhile, in Texas, near Bee Cave.**

A coyote was chasing its prey, a desert rat. The coyote had been after the little rodent for at least half an hour. Then, all of a sudden, the rat disappeared. The coyote started sniffing the ground. It turned its head to the left, and spotted something unusual. A flickering point of light, in the vast emptiness that was the Texas wasteland. It approached the flicker cautiously.

John Deardmaadat was feeling alone. Not very surprising when you're guarding a fallen TeenZ satellite in the middle of nowhere...sorry, Texas. He'd made himself a small camp fire, and he was trying to play the guitar. He was failing horribly. Each time he tried to play a tune, he could hear some sort of horrible screeching. He finally accepted that it was his guitar that made the horrible noise, but he still he tried one last time. The noise was much worse, and he heard some sort of canine animal howling.

''Shut up, you bloody pooch !'', he yelled.

Yeah, when it came to musical instruments, he sucked. And he was going to have to wait for another half hour. He still wondered why he'd been the only one sent on this boring mission...it's not like any of the others had something to do...

Meanwhile, sector V and sector T were flying high the in air, in Sector V's C.O.O.L.B.U.S:

''Crud, why must go to stikin' Texas to get a bloody teenage satellite ?!, said Joey.

-The satellite isn't our first reason, Numbuh 43, said Tommy, the main object of the mission is to capture the ''Teen''.

-How do we even know he's there ? He could be anywhere in this bloody country !

-We know he's there...because ''they'' made sure he would be...they gave him the mission...he's all alone...We can capture him, then make tests on him. Hopefully, the scientists on moon base will be able to find something in that guy which can resolve the problem of delightfullisation.

-We could bring back Sector Z, if it worked, added Numbuh 323.

-Yeah, that would be awesome, said Numbuh 46.7. With the ''lost sector'' back in action, our fight against adults would take a new turn. Everybody knows Sector Z were the best fighters ever, even better than our predecessors, the old Sector V.

-Yes, we know, said Numbuh T, with a a sight.

-I'm still wondering how it is to be a teenager operative, declared Numbuh 46.7.

-Shh, be quiet, said Numbuh T, showing him the compartment where the Texans were, we're the only ones who know, apart from the Soopreme Leader.''

At the same moment, the leader of sector T stepped in.

''Alright, then, we're near the location. Let's land and kick this teenager's butt.''

John was eating a snack. It was the only thing he could do at the moment. That and tend to the fire.

All of a sudden, he heard a loud noise, like a sort of plane-or rocket-which was landing. He took out his special set of Teen Ninja binoculars, and pressed on the ''Night Mode, dude'' button. He started scanning around him. Ah, there, at four o'clock. The KND ! What a surprise...not !

 _If you brats think I ain't ready, you're bloody wrong. I got a surprise for you..._

He patted a medium sized metallic box. Before going to Texas, he'd made a stop at the mall, to ''borrow'' one of the new weapons the scientists were working on.

The operatives could see the glimmer in the distance that was John's fire.

''Probably doesn't know we're here, said the Texan boy, so I say we rush in and kick his a**!

-Wow, not so fast, said Tommy, he probably heard us landing. The guy's dangerous ! Didn't you see what happened when we attacked the High School ?! He escaped from us, took Numbuh 46.7 as hostage, blew up two D.O.H-D. , and threw a baseball in the face of Numbuh 201813518, the leader of sector E. We need to be carefull and...''

When he looked again...the boy and the three other operatives were gone.

John prepared for the incoming attack. He made a few physical exercises, then went over to the metallic box.

''Hands in the air, teenager...or we transform you into a human strainer.'', he heard.

He turned around, and saw four children pointing some sort of home-made laser guns.

''Surrender now, teenager, we have questions to ask ya...'', said the boy in the center.

John analysed the situation. Four kids pointing small firearms at him. He had his B.R.A activated. The box was just next to him, the red button on its side gleaming in the fire light. He smiled :

''You'll need bigger guns, kiddo.''

He kicked the button, and instantly, the box started to transform. It opened, and a heap of metal came out, slowly deploying itself. First, its base and tripod. Then the contraption on the top started moving as well, slowly changing form. A type of Gatling gun barrel emerged from it, then an ammo belt slid off towards the ground. After that, the contraption went through a few small changes, before becoming immobile. Then, all of a sudden, it beeped, and the superior part of it started moving and scanning its surroundings. It completely ignored John, however, it focused on the kids.

Teen Ninjas : S.E.N.T.R.Y.C.O.N-C.A.R.N.E : Sentinel Enables Negative response Towards Raging Ynfants Causing Ongoing Neutralization - Chili Ammo Reserved for N Elite.

The children gulped. What could mustard guns do against a chili firing turret ?

The sentry beeped one last time...then fired.

They heard shrieks in the distance, and shooting.

''Idiots'', said Mushi.

Shortly after, Sector T came back. The three kids were holding their leader, who was barely conscious. He was in a critical state. His body was peppered with chili projectiles. He only spoke four words before falling unconscious.

''He...has...a...turret.''

The members of his sector then transported him back into the C.O.O.L.B.U.S, then came back to discuss about a plan of action.

''Alright, said Tommy, we need to take this satellite ASAP, but there still is the problem of this mechanical defence he has.

-How do you manage to come up with words this sophisticated, said Joey.

-Learnt from Hoagie, said Tommy.

-We could attack from five different directions. Like that, his turret won't be able to get us all, stated Mushi, while one or two of us will distract his sentry, then the rest of the group will take down the teenager.

-Sounds good to me, said Numbuh 46.7

-We could try it, declared Tommy.''

So the kids planed their attack. Mushi and a boy from Sector T would go and capture the Teen ninja.

Little did they know that John could see them coming. He observed them through his binoculars.

 _What were they hoping to achieve, by separating into two groups ?_

He soon got his answer. The turret beeped and fired in the direction of the smaller group, on the left.

Now he knew. They wanted to distract his turret, and try and take him from behind. And it was working. The turret couldn't hit them, they were too fast. On the other side, the other kids were advancing rapidly towards his position. He didn't care. He'd defend his position until there wouldn't be a single drop of blood left in him ! He fired in the direction of the second group, then saw that they had stopped and taken cover behind some rocks and a bushes. He looked in the other way. The other kids were still dodging the incoming chilli projectiles : This side was secure. His sentry was continuing to spit out sauce, and the kids were trying to dodge it like crazy. Then all of a sudden, he heard a ticking sound...like when a gun doesn't have any ammo. He turned around and saw a little boy holding the turret's ammo in his hands.

''Don't touch that !'', he said.

He blasted the operative with his laser pistol. The boy went flying.

 _Dammit, they're fast...I just turned my look for five seconds and one of them is already there..._

Then he heard another one yell :

''KIDS NEXT DOOR, BATTLESTATIONS !''

And they were on him. He received a hale of projectile, ranging from sugar bags to mustard. One of them jumped on him, and tried punching him :

''That's for what ya did too me at the school, teenager !

-What ? Ah, yeah, I remember...you're the little punk who I took as a hostage.''

He just pushed the kid away from his face, then punched him in the gut. He didn't put a lot of force in it, he didn't want to damage the kid to badly. He then had to deal with one of the sector T kids, who was trying to hit him with a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. He shot him with his laser pistol, but then noticed that several other kids were aiming at him with their weapons. He activated his rocket boots, and just managed to avoid the major part of the projectiles, until some sugar hit his jet boots. It only did minor damage, but the Teddy bear which hit him next in the stomach was enough to make him lose control of them. He crashed into the ground, then got up quickly. He easily stopped a punch from one of them, then shoved him away. He then slapped one of the smaller operatives, who started crying. That's when he felt something hit him in the back. He turned around, only to take another projectile in the face. He staggered a bit, while licking off bit of the stuff that had hit him. Sugar ! Kids didn't know what to invent these days. He opened his eyes, only to find a shoe going straight into his face. He narrowly dodged it. That was enough ! He seized a little girl, and threw her on three other KND troopers. He then turned on the kid who had shot sugar at him. He recognized him as Hoagie's little brother.

''Bad luck, kid !''

He advanced on him, laser pistol at the ready.

''The Tommy will never surrender to the likes of you, teenager.

-Oh, yeah ? Well, suck on this on !''

He punched the kid, then brought him up to eye-level.

''Listen, kiddo, you're gonna leave me alone, okay, I've already had a hard week.

-Never, this satellite contains vital information and we're gonna take it.

-If you say so...''

John took the kid a few meters then threw him to the ground.

''Now go away before I blow a hole in your head.''

He then turned around, and walked back towards the campfire.

''This isn't the end, teenager !'', said Tommy.

Two seconds after said this, he saw the teen turn back violently, and start shooting laser beams at him. Numbuh T yelped, and ran away as quickly as he could.

''Stupid little blighter'', John whispered.

When he got back to the fire, he was pleased to see that nothing had been stolen. He then sat back on the satellite, opened a soda bottle and started to drink. Hopefully, the kids will have had their lesson, he thought. He took his binoculars, and scanned the area. He could see them regrouping near their weird bus-looking spaceship. He counted them...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...Wait, weren't there eight of them.

''Scuse me, sir, but I got lost...and I hurt my ankle...could you help me ?''

He turned to face a little girl wearing a purple sweater.

''Please, sir, could you help me ?'', she repeated, while doing puppy eyes.

John was not very impressed. Was she trying to make him cry or something ? In a normal situation, he'd have called a hospital or even the kid's parents if he could. But this was different. This kid and her friends were trying to capture and perform weird things on him.

''Sorry, kid, but I don't help people like you KNDorks.

-So you don't want to help me, sir ? WELL, TOO BAD, BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO NEED SOME AFTER I'VE FINISHED WITH YOU, YOU BIG MEAN TEENAGER.''

Mushi armed her T.H.U.M.P.E.R, and shot a volley of teddy bears at the Teen Ninja, who took the blunt of the attack full force. He fell to the ground, and Mushi advanced on him to deal the final blow.

''Very impressive kid, he said, but I still have ammo, and you don't !''

It was true, Mushi's T.H.U.M.P.E.R didn't have any more Teddy Bears. Before she could do anything, John shot her, then seized her by her sweater's collar. He then chucked her out into the desert.

''And don't come back.'', he yelled.

He then went back to drink his soda.

Meanwhile, the Kids Next Door were licking their wounds.

''Right, I've had enough of this teenager, said Tommy. We're Sector V, one of the best sectors in the KND, and yet we cannot manage to capture one, stupid, dumb...Teenager ! Numbuh 46.7...

-Yes, boss, said the boy.

-Bring me...the box for the S.P.L.O.R.K.E.R.

-Ay, ay boss !'', responded the operative.

He came back soon after with said box. Numbuh T then entered the coordinates into it, programming the cannon to fire at John's position. The operatives then retreated, not wanting to be caught in the incoming wave of condiments.

John was pleased. The kids seemed to have gone away. Another success...that would be a good thing for his higher ups to see...that would probably earn him a promotion. First step on the ladder !

He continued drinking to his success for a few minutes, until he noticed something odd in the sky. There was a flash, which had the shape of a sword. He quickly took his googles and looked up into the sky. The googles beeped, and a message appeared.

ALERT, INCOMING PROJECTILE.

 _Damn you, KND..._

He could see something yellow approaching VERY rapidly. He started to run, not wanting to be caught in the radius of whatever weapon the KND had unleashed on him. He'd just run a few meters

when he heard a deafening SPLOSH ! He looked back, and saw a giant wave of...mustard ?! He tried running faster, but it was no use.

''Nope, nope, nope. Heck no, you ain't dying like that, partner...'', he said, before the wave caught up with him, and he was swallowed in a sea of condiments.

Sector T and Sector V looked on from the distance. They saw the S.P.L.O.R.K.E.R's mustard beam hit the Teen Ninja's position, and totally submerge it. After a few minutes, the operatives moved in to investigate.

''We have the satellite, said Numbuh 43, and what's left of that teen's turret. But speaking about the cruddy teenager...He isn't there...

-You think he is in that sea of mustard, asked Mushi to Tommy.

-I don't know, said Tommy, and anyway we should be going : our mission is completed (at least for the satellite part) and more of the Teenz are probably on their way...''

Fifty meters away, John erupted from the sea of mustard which had nearly drowned him. He spat some of it out.

''Yuck...discount mustard ?! Don't these brats know that the best type of mustard comes from Dijon !''

He activated his communicator.

''Yo, Hoagie ? Sorry, but I don't think the satellite will be any use now...It's buried under tons of mustard.

-Ah, c**p, said the boy on the other end, it contained vital information.

-Like what ?

-Information on the KND moonbase...Its weaknesses, the parts of it which are the most vulnerable...

-Ahh, sorry, but I couldn't do anything...They shot at me with some sort of space cannon which fires sauce...Lots of sauce.

-That was a KND condiment cannon, said Hoagie, I used one once, before I had to run away.

-Right. See you later, I think my transport just landed.''

John shut his communicator, and ran towards the Teen Ninja van which had just landed.

 **Secret base of the Teens Next Door.**

''He managed to escape again..., said Hoagie.

-He's good, said Wally, I nevah expected someone like him to escape that many times.

-Abby thought catching this guy would be a piece of cake...

-He's bound to run out of luck one day, said Rachel, We just have to be patient.

-And when this day comes...We'll catch him ! And I ask yer permission ma'am, that once they've finished with him on Moonbase, I can decommision this evil teenager right here, in the Teens Next Door Soopah-bunker !

-Fanny...we've got it...you hate the guy...but he's going to have his memory wiped on moon base, and that's that. We don't want to take any chances of him escaping, because if we decommissioned him here and he escaped, our organisation would be in great danger.

-Still, this guy isn't like the others, said Abby, He joined the Teen Ninjas just to stop the KND...not to beat up kids or steal candy...Even delightfulised, he doesn't really consider kids like a menace...That might mean that who ever did this to him didn't finish his work.

-There's the big question, stated Hoagie, How did John Deardmaadat get delightfulised in the first place ? Because there's no intel which indicates Father made experiences on teenagers.

-It isn't because there is no proof that he didn't do it, Number 2, said a figure who stepped out of the shadows.

-Number 9, sir, said Rachel.

-At ease, number 362. So by what I get, the ''Teen'' has escaped again ?

-Yeah, but at least the Teen Ninjas have lost crucial information...The satellite we shot down ins't going to give them information after what happened to it.

-Yes, I know...a S.P.L.O.R.K.E.R...Isn't that a bit too much for one person.

-He's quite dangerous, sir, said Hoagie.

-His case intrigues me...He doesn't do anything like the rest of them.''

He turned around and went towards the door, then stopped.

''Stop spying on him for the moment...He might start to find things suspicious after today's events. For the moment, just...try and find out more about him. What does he like, what are his origins, what was his life back in England...''

John stepped out of the van, said goodbye to the other Teen Ninjas, then walked back home. He came in front of his doorstep, only to find...another Teen Ninja. This Teen Ninja had a different set of armour than the other ones. It was purple and gold, not black and red. On his chest plate, the teenager arboured an insignia in the form a pair of wings. He wore a black mask shaped like a wolf's face

''What again ? Who are you ?

-Just a messenger, said the other Teen Ninja, doing my job.''

He approached John and whispered :

''You see the big house down the Lane ?

-Yeah ?!

-Tomorrow, at 17:00. You're invited...Don't forget.''

And with that, he activated his jet boots and set off in the night, leaving John slightly puzzled.

 **Next chapter : enter FATHER !**

 **Until next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 : Delightful encounter.**

 **Well, here we go.**

The first baseball match sucked. Although he managed to mark his first points, they lost narrowly to Hendry's Blue Wings. The opinion the rest of the team had of him was a mixed one. Some praised his good start, others thought it wasn't a good idea for him to play this, and one or two even blamed him for their loss.

 _Well, there are always going to be people like that !_

He passed through a lone alley, and came on one of the main streets. After a few steps, he came in front of the gates...of a mansion. That's when he remembered what the messenger had said to him yesterday. He checked the time on his phone. 17 o'clock in the afternoon. _Just in time_ , he thought, _it's seems that my subconscious made me take this route._

He went to the doorbell. After ringing it, he heard a voice say ''Enter''. The gates creaked open. John started walking up the alley which lead to the mansion. And what a mansion...a huge pink and white castle. Not really the type of place which could serve as headquarters to an army of teenagers wearing futuristic armour. The teenage boy walked up to the door, knocked, and then entered.

The interior of the mansion had nothing to do with the outside. It was its exact opposite. The gothic architecture and the dull coloured walls gave the place a sinister air, and John understood that the pink and white decorations he saw from the exterior were merely a camouflage. He advanced slowly in the dark hall. He saw a sort of big desk at the end of the hall, with the back of a big chair behind it.

 _Honestly, that type of scene is so cliché, I'm sure the chair is going to turn around and he'll be sitting in it..._

''Well, well...if it isn't our new recruit. Welcome, Mister Deardmaadat...you've arrived just on time.''

The teenager turned in direction of the voice. Facing him was a middled aged man with a sort of...''dark'' suit which covered all of his body, making him look like a living shadow (It also made him unrecognisable.). John also remarked that when the adult came towards him, the air got significantly hotter.

 _Geez, does the guy have some sort of portable oven on him ?_

The man went to the desk, then sat in the big chair. He gestured to John :

''You can sit.''

The boy did as he said. He sat in front of the mysterious, shadowy figure. So this guy was supposed to be his boss ? He hoped this man could inform more on what he was to do as a Teen Ninja.

''Mr Dearmaadat...You joined a month ago...You have a good record for putting these little brats IN PLACE ! Hum...you destroyed a good part of their decommissioning squad's material...DAMN THESE LITTLE GITS !

-Hum, is everything okay, Sir ?

-Yes...where was I ? Ah, of course...Welcome to the Teen Ninjas, Mr Dearmaadat, although I'm sure you've grasped the tasks you'll be assigned to.

-Hum, yeah...stop the KND...from brainwashing people.

-Not only. You see, these brats aren't the only ones who pester teenagers and adults...No, all children , in my view, need to be put back in their place.

-So you're telling me all kids need a beating, huh ?

-No, not really, your job is to control them...I have a dream, Mr Dearmaadat, that one day, every child will act...good. No answering back. Executing every order which is given to them...

-You want every children to be perfect, huh ? That's the work of a lifetime. If you're gonna make all children ''delightful'' as you say...Man, I can't imagine all the...You're gonna need a foundation !

-I already created one. Not to mention I own a company.

-Oh ! Well...What are you doing with it, Sir ? Financing schools ?

-Oh no ! Why...By the way, could you just take your sunglasses off, it reminds me of my dishonourable and bratty nephew ! DAMN HIM !

-Sorry, Sir, but I have a very rare sickness which forces me to wear these glasses constantly. Not having them could cause irreversible damage to my retina.''

He was lying of course. He didn't want to show his greatest shame to this sinister man.

''Right, he said, Anyway...Why financing schools when you can create perfect children in a easier way.

-You're telling me you created a miracle program to bring up your kids ?

-No...Something like the world alike has never seen : A Delightfulization machine.''

 _Wait, what ? Does he perform genetic experiments on people ?_

''And the results are wonderful !'',continued the man.

All of a sudden, there was a loud knock on one of the doors which lead further into the house.

''Speaking of which, I'd like you to meet my children.'', said Father.

''You can come in.'', he added.

The door opened, and in stepped five...familiar children : Three boys and two girls, each wearing some type of expensive clothing. But the most disturbing thing was their eyes : Each child had a pair of big pale, blue ones, which would've given any normal person the creeps.

But John was more than disturbed, he was totally scared.

 _Wait, do I have something in common with these little monsters ? Another good reason not to take my glasses off ! I don't want them to see my eyes !_

But Father remarked how John's face had suddenly paled.

''I have to admit that my children can surprise people in an unpleasant way, but believe me, they wouldn't hurt a fly...except if it had the word KND written on it. Now children, this is John Deardmaadat, one of the Teen Ninjas newest recruits. Since nearly a month now, Mr Dearmaadat has been fighting the KND very successfully with a very low rate of failure. I'm currently discussing with him about a promotion, so be good little angels and go and finish your homework.

-Yes, Father.'', they replied.

The children then went back through the door in perfect synchronisation, shutting it gently, because that's what good children do after all.

John, at the moment, didn't think they were perfect children. In fact, as I already said, he was quite freaked out.

 _When is all this finished ?! I wanna get out of here !_

Luckily, his wish was granted five minutes later. Father gave him the promotion, which placed him just under the rest of the gang. That was a very good start. However, Father also told that to access this position, he'd have to perform certain tasks for the scientists : They hadn't taken to kindly to him stealing some of their experimental weapons. After this, Father told him that he was pleased to have such a promising recruit in the TEENZ ranks, and that he was sure he'd attain a very high rank soon. The man then politely accompanied John to the door and bid him farewell.

John went down the alley, up to the gate. He opened it, walked out, then turned around. Once he was sure Father wasn't looking at him through a window, he dashed as fast as he could back to his house, without stopping, trying to put as much distance between him and this manor, it's creepy yet polite owner, and his horrible children.

 **Well, that was chapter 7. It came out late compared to other updates, but for a good reason : Chapter 8, 9 and 10 are currently under writing. I apologise for this short chapter, chapter 8 should be a bit longer. Man, I'm starting to get fed up off all this Teen Ninja stuff. Hopefully, when chapter 9 will come out, I'll be able to move on to the main part of the story, which motivates me much more.**

 **Until next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Tumble weeds roll about. Then the author appears.**

 **-Sure's been a long time. Well, back to work !**

**Chapetr 8 : Confrontation at the Factory**

John was testing the new armor out. Since he'd ''lost'' the S.E.N.T.R.I-C.O.N-C.A.R.N.E, his higher ups had decided, as a punishment, that he'd become the scientists main ''guinea-pig'' for a short time. And God it was horrible ! Although, he got to test cool weapons and armor, he was still used as a test subject for other questionable types of teen technology, like that ''zit vaccine'' which backfired completely. At the end of the day his head was covered in spots, and it had taken a whole week for him to recover.

The teenager flew across Cleveland, made a few loopings, then landed on top of a building.

From there he could see a good part of the town.

He checked the armor to see if everything was okay. That special type of Battle Ready Armour had been specially designed for the TEENZ field medics.

The weapons, like lasers and and tranquilizer darts, were operational. He had his integrated bone-saw alright. His syringe gun, which was integrated to his armor's left gauntlet, was fully loaded. The injector was operational, and he had a med-kit ready. He checked his defibrillator gloves. They were working fine.

Finally, he opened up a panel on his armor's right arm, which indicated him the level of all the drugs and liquids could need. He'd just checked the plasma and energy drink levels, when he realized that he was missing a certain level of morphine ( He was currently at 47 percent of the damn stuff. ).

He knew the armor had never been used before, so the fact that some of the drugs had been used gave him suspicions. Oh well, he'd have to resolve that issue when he came back.

He then checked in the armor's pockets and backpack for some of the antibiotics. Everything was there : Pain pills, anti-depressants, sleeping pills, some sort of anti-venom... Everything was fine. No need to worry.

The teenager then resumed his flight. His jet boots limited him. He couldn't go to high, KND fighters frequently patrolled these parts of the sky. And jet boots don't have infinite fuel.

He'd never flown before, except on the airplane from Britain to the U.S. But feeling the wind on his face and the air in his lungs was a new and exiting sensation. He liked it, no loved it, he who was usually uneasy in high places.

However, after a few minutes, he realized that his jet boots were starting to lack energy. He landed near a bustling industrial site, and wondered for a bit. While walking, he noticed a few posters on the walls, some publicity for cars and furniture, a ''Missing'' poster showing the face of a blond teenage boy, which looked like it had been stuck up quite a while ago, and then a poster for what seemed to be an election, probably the Presidential one.

All of a sudden, he heard cries from behind a corner, and came on a scene which totally bewildered him. In front of him was a scene of total panic : People were running away in terror...from a distillery. And that wasn't even the most shocking site. He could see waves of what seemed to be...root beer pouring out of it. He advanced quickly towards the building, stopping near one of the people to ask them questions.

''Hey, what happened ?, he said to one of the adults.

-Don't know, two weird people came and entered the building. Since then, no news of what kind, until that pool of soda came out. My son is still in there...I hope nothing happened to him.

-Don't worry, I'll find them.''

And without leaving the man any time to respond, he entered the building.

The corridors were soaked with beer, giving the walls a brownish color and the air a sugary scent.

He'd recognized the firm when he saw the building for the first time. It was called ''Captain Morgan's''.

From experience, he already knew that it was an alcohol firm which produced mainly root beer, but it also produced drinks for adults. John had tasted one of them at Oktoberfest during his last autumn vacations, a year ago. He had emptied the pint in one go, and felt the drink burn his throat. It was even worse than the bottle of Whiskey one of his uncles had brought back from Scotland, and this type of brew made vodka pass for coke.

He continued to explore the corridors, pistol at the ready. He still wondered who had caused this. The Kids Next Door ? Probably. He'd heard recently that the law cracked down hard on kids when it came to drinking.

As he advanced towards the brewing chamber, he could hear voices. But they weren't kids. They were adults. Five or four of them.

''Did we get all of them ?

-I think so Boss.

-Right, now to destroy this disgusting brew.

-I couldn't agree more, said a voice with a Spanish accent, alcohol must be destroyed. Coffee is the real deal.

-Don't get to exited, Cuppa Joe, said the second voice. We're only here for one alcohol, not all of them. And as for your declaration about coffee...''

John had heard enough. He bolted towards the door, laser pistol at the ready.

''FREEZE !'', he yelled as he burst through the door.

He pointed his laser pistol at...a bunch of ice cream men, drill workers and two men in white suits, one of them wearing a large white sombrero like hat.

Turning his head around, he noticed a dozen kids chained up next to the brewing barrels, which had been blown up.

 _Well, that explains the root beer pouring out of the factory._

There was an awkward moment of silence, before one of the Ice-Cream men spoke.

''And just who the Hell do you think you are ?

-I should be the one asking questions, John responded, I'm peacefully flying over this nice city, and then I come to this ugly industrial site for a rest, and what do I see : some root beer...

-You're very impudent for a Teen Ninja, one of the men in white suits remarked.

-Excuse me ?, the teen replied.

-My, my, he continues, the man said, I guess I'll have to speak to Father about his recruiting methods.

-Father ? That guy in black who spouts flames and is technically my boss ? You know him ?''

The man was massaging his temples in frustration.

''I thought Teenagers were stupid, but not at that much, he said.

-Hey, shut your mouth up, the boy retorted.

-And he's impolite as well, the adult continued, how did you even enter the Teen Ninjas ?

-I dunno, there are lots of idiots who managed to get in, so why not me ? Anyways, let's get back to the subject of this conversation. Who are you ? What are you doing ? Why are you doing it ?

-Very well, the man declared, I am Mr Fizz, lawman and person in charge of the application of the 2006 Soda Law. To my left is my associate, Cuppa Joe, who's in charge of Evil Adult industries coffee department and merchandising. Our goal today was to destroy this factory, because of the root beer it contains. Like this, the brats won't be able to replace soda with something sugary, and they'll be forced to drink water. Ha, ha, ha.

-So you destroyed all the brewing tanks ?

-Yes, and we captured a few of the brats who were here on a school outing.

-Are they KND ?

-No. At first, we used them as hostages in case the KND came, but since you're here, I guess you can take care of them...I've heard the Teen Ninjas need more slaves...

-Say no more, said the teen, I'll do what's necessary.''

He walked towards the frightened kids, who cowered in terror. He took out his bone saw...and cut the ropes which bound the child's hands and ankles. He then freed all the others in the same way.

He straightened up, and went back towards the adults, who were now looking at him with a dumb founded expression.

He stopped for a moment, noticing the children staring at him.

'' What are you waiting for ? he said, turning towards them; You damn brats ! Go ! Shoo ! Piss off you midgets !''

The children obeyed immediately, and ran off towards the factory's exit.

The adults were furious. Mr Fizz looked at John with disgust.

''What's your problem, he yelled, you're supposed to put them back them back in place ! Make them respect adults ! Not let them run away !

-I spoke with Father, the teen said nonchalantly. He told me he hated kids but I was only told to attack the KND...Technically, nothing more...

-Shut up, yelled the adult, You...You're the stupidest teen I've ever met, and that's saying something, because I've met more dumb arse teenagers than I've had hot diners.

-You're the stupid one, you old geezer, John replied with a growl, you and your goons destroyed **all** the brewing systems. This factory produces real alcohol too...

-We already knew that, Cuppa Joe said, with his Hispanic accent, but sacrifices must be made. Alcohol is a horrible mixture, for the real thing that an adult must drink is...coffee ! Yes, you heard me, coffee must prevail ! And I will personally destroy every barrel of alcohol if that means that adults...

-You crazy fucker, John interrupted him, do you really think I'll let you continue your schemes ?! There's no way Oktoberfest is going to be screwed because some psycho grown up decided that coffee was better than beer ! I hate that crap ! It stinks !

-¿¡Qué?!, snarled Cuppa Joe, whose eyes bulged so wide that he started to look like a Cuphead villain.

-Yeah, you heard me. I prefer tea, the teenager said smugly.

At the mention of the world ''tea'', Cuppa Joe clutched his chest as if he was having a heart attack.

Mr Fizz sighted in exasperation. He'd seen enough. He nodded to the cronies :

''Teach that impudent youth a lesson !''

Instantly, eight or seven ice cream men ran towards the teenager.

John's laser gun sprang into action. Three men went down immediately, one of them screaming and clutching his crotch.

They were only four left now, but they were trying to surround him. A short, skinny man tried to grab him. John pushed him back, and before his opponent could react, he gave him an uppercut to the jaw. The force of the punch, plus the fact that it was delivered with an iron coated glove, knocked the guy out cold.

He avoided a punch thrown by a stout woman, which hit another goon who was trying to grab him from behind. Before they could recover, the teen rushed at his fourth opponent and took him by the legs. They rolled across the floor together until the boy managed to get on top of his opponent, and soccer punched him mercilessly until he went limp.

He heard the last two running towards him.

Fuck, he'd lost his energy pistol. But he still had an ace up his sleeve...

As they closed in on him, he turned and aimed his left gauntlet in their direction. He fired two tranquilizer darts. They both slumped to the floor.

 _Finished_ , John thought, _Now, I just need to..._

He turned around swiftly, hearing some heavy footsteps, only to get a massive punch in the face. The force of the blow made him fall over, and he skidded away on the spilled root beer, until he crashed into one of the brewing systems.

He got up painfully, still seeing a few stars. The punch had dealt him severe damage. One of the lenses on his specs was cracked, and the hot liquid which he felt trickling down the left side of his face could only be blood.

Before he could react, he got kicked in the stomach. He lurched, severely winded, before he was pulled up by a single massive hand.

John opened his eyes, and found himself facing a huge man, with a savage looking face.

''This is Golgo, Cuppa Joe said, He's the most strong and brutal of my workers. You're not the first he will crush.''

The giant pulled back his massive fist with a smirk, then turned towards Mr Fizz and Cuppa Joe.

''Should I finish him ?''

 _Crap_ , John thought, _Another punch from that guy and I'm finished. Need to think fast..._

''Of course.'', Mr Fizz said.

The colossus then smirked at John.

''Looks like it's the end for you, little punk.''

John kicked him in the crotch. Golgo howled and fell to his knees, letting go of John in the process.

The teenager got up and noticed two things : One, his enemy was at his mercy. Two, his laser pistol was only a few meters away.

''You little s**t, the man yelled, I'm gonna lay you out.''

But before he could get up, the teenager was in front of him.

''Say ''Ah'''', John declared.

Golgo didn't have time to react, as John shoved the gun in his mouth, and pulled the trigger a few times. The giant lurched then started coughing and wheezing, spurting blood out of his mouth with each breath.

The teenager didn't even give him a chance. He socked the man in the jaw, in the throat, then he punched him a few times in the face. He finished him with a second uppercut which put the giant K.O.

The teen, victorious, turned to his last two opponents. But contrarily to what he expected, they laughed.

''Very impressive...'', Mr Fizz said, while slowly clapping his hands.

All of a sudden, five barrels appeared out of nowhere, and started fixing themselves on Mr Fizz's limbs and head.

''...but you're going to have to do a lot better than that.''

The process, revealing a massive robot suit, which easily dwarfed the Teen Ninja.

''Scheize !'', John muttered.

He aimed his energy weapon at Mr Fizz's head, and fired half a dozen shots. The adult easily countered this attack by raising one of his robotic arms in front of his face.

''Is that all you can do, you acne diseased little punk ?, The man shouted, Now, watch...and learn !''

The bottles of soda on Mr Fizz's left arm started spewing soda at an excessive rate.

John had to run madly, trying to dodge the soda blasts that were trying to nail him down. He observed the suit and its opponent. The man seemed to be drinking soda from plastic tubes attached to a plastic mask.

John, of course, didn't ignore the properties of the drink. Although his enemy would probably have a very fizzy stomach, he now had more energy than a car battery.

He paused a moment behind a big crate filled with bottles. The jets of soda were progressively pushing the box forwards, but John didn't care.

 _If that guy loves fizzy drinks so much, I'm gonna make sure he doesn't do an overdose._

He took out his bone saw, and prepared to jump out. As the crate was on the point of sliding into the wall, he activated his jet boots and burst out of his hiding place. This surprised Mr Fizz, he didn't have time to aim correctly at the flying teenager, and John crashed into him.

Mister Fizz tried to shake off the teenager but to no avail. Meanwhile, John was holding on for dear life. He finally managed crawl onto the robo-suit's back. Taking out his bone saw, he swiped at the plastic tubes that provided the man with soda. He managed to sever one of them, which caused gushes of soda to come spewing out.

However, John's luck was short lived as Fizz pointed both of his Soda Gatlings at him. Although most of the shots missed their mark, on of them hit John straight in the face. He lost his grip, and fell to the floor. He wiped out most of the soda which had splattered on his sunglasses, then jumped quickly out of the way, noticing the incoming robot foot which intended to squash him. He retreated a few meters back. He then heard Mr Fizz taunting him.

''Ha, you thought cutting off my reserve of soda would weaken me ? Big mistake !''

John turned around and started raising his middle finger, but he didn't have time to finish his rude gesture. A huge jet of soda pinned down on the ground. He tried to get up, but to his horror he couldn't move his limbs. Looking down, he realized that the soda had stuck to him. He tried walking. No result. His feet were stuck to the ground as surely as if he'd walked into some fresh cement.

Mr Fizz approached the boy with a wicked smile on his face.

''Looks like I've won.''

He then shot a dozen blasts at the helpless teen, who's body started buckling under the shots. He was forced on his knees, trying to shield himself as much as possible from the sugary drink which was being shot at him. But to no avail. At the end, the Ninja was curled on the floor trapped in a sugary paste which made it difficult for him to move. Mr Fizz turned back to his goons, who were painfully getting up :

''Try and find any kids in this factory, then check on the others. Evacuate the wounded, then get out of there.

-What about that teenager ?, One of the ice-cream men said.

-Leave him there. When the police will be here, they'll find him in all this mush and blame him for what happened !''

John was hearing every word of this. No way he was going to be locked up in prison for nothing. He wasn't ready to start a criminal record at his age ( As if being in an organisation of evil teenagers hell bent on torturing children didn't count ! ). He had to think of a way of getting free from this sticky mess.

 _What could desolve this ? Acid, water, alcohol, fire...Wait a sec...fire, that's the solution...Just have to activate my jetboots..._

He tried his best to move his feet as to activate them, but all attempts failed. The only way possible now was to punch them and pray whoever lived up there that it would work. He removed the satchel on the back of his armour. He could now move his back freely, which permitted him to act out his plan with more ease. First, put everything back in the bag, it's damn content had spilled out during the battle.

Med kit, pain pills, anti-depressants...All of sudden, something caught his time.

 _Interesting_ , he taught, _I think I now have some chances of beating that bastard !_

He took the item which interested him, and slid it in one of his pockets. He then resumed his task. He started punching the inside back of his boots, in hope that it would activate it. The first hit made no effect, the second neither, but the third caused the rocket boot to activate, creating a puff of smoke as the shoe's miniature jet engines burned away the soda.

Mr Fizz noticed the smoke, and gave orders to his men :

''Go and investigate, quick !''

The men walked cautiously towards the smoke, armed to the teeth this time. They levelled their ice cream pistols, ready to light up anything that came out of the smoke.

John rose up as fast as a bullet, and before any of his enemies could react, he unloaded his entire reserve of sleeping darts in their direction. Most of them hit the floor, but every ice cream men was hit by at least one of them. They all fell on to the concrete, snoring loudly.

Mr Fizz stopped putting his robotic arms up ( They were riddled with dart. ), and looked darkly at the teenager.

''I can't believe it...you're still standing...I guess I didn't do enough then...Have at you !''

He fired all twelve of his soda cannons at John, but this time the boy evaded the attack, and flew high in the air.

The teen then jetted directly at Mr Fizz, pushing his rocket boots power to seventy percent. In a last desperate burst, he dodged all the soda shots the adult threw at him. He landed on top on him, and a fierce struggle followed. John was trying to get hold of the robo-armour's soda tube which gave Mr Fizz soda, and Mr Fizz was trying to shake off John. Like in the first confrontation, John let go, only this time Mr Fizz attacked him. As soon as the teen's feet had touched the ground, he gave him a mighty swipe which knocked back the boy a few meters. John was now sitting against a wall, nursing his injury, a slight trickle of blood coming out of his mouth, recovering the blood crust which had resulted of Golgo punching him.

Mr Fizz advanced on him :

''Stay down this time, you rebellious little b*****d !

-You first, John murmured.

-What ?'', Mr Fizz questioned.

He looked at his hands and noticed something rather odd. There were...blurry ? No, his hole vision was blurry. The adult started to yawn, his eyes closing more and more often. He moved closer towards the boy, trying to blast him.

''What...did...you...do...to...me ?''

The teenager smirked.

''Easy. You know that second attempt ? I wasn't trying to cut your ''fuel'' line...During the struggle, I slipped a few sleeping pills in the left tube, the one I had cut open. I'm surprised you didn't notice.''

The adult snarled faintly, then his eyes shut, and he fell to the ground, robo-suit and all, with a loud THUD.

John got up and walked up slowly towards the unconscious Mr Fizz, and gave him a hard kick in the face, causing the villain's nose to start to bleed.

 _Right, now that he's out of the way, let's get rid of the other one._

He turned towards Cuppa Joe and the remaining goons. They looked at him menacingly. Cuppa Joe advanced through his henchmen, towards John, not even putting his cup of tea down. He looked disdainfully at Mr Fizz's unconscious body, then back at John. Then back at Mr Fizz. Then back at John.

''Don't tell me you have a coffee spewing robot suit as well.'', the teen muttered.

Cuppa Joe only smirked, and took a sip of his coffee.

''All right, you know what, f**k this !'' John yelled.

He aimed his laser gun at the man, and fired a dozen shots. But as the lasers were about to hit him, the sombrero wearing adult disappeared, and the energy projectiles hit a crate, making very little damage. John looked around him. He couldn't see Cuppa Joe anywhere. Nor could he hear him.

All of a sudden, the villain appeared right in front of him. He punched John with such a force that he sent the boy flying ( Again. ). John got up, painfully.

''What the f**k are you ?'', he mumbled.

The villain didn't respond, and instead gave John a another powerful punch...No, wait not one, several. John felt them this time. He understood what was happening. His adversary was a man possessing super speed. _How the crap did he become like that ?_ , the boy thought. The villain bragged :

''Look at you, you can barely stand up. You're bleeding abundantly from your face, you have several cuts on your body. You look exhausted. And yet you still want to fight. Pfff, ridiculous...You cannot even hit me. I take a cup of extra hot coffee every two hours, which makes me the fastest man alive !''

He then charged at John, only this time the Teen Ninja had the sense to fly up into the air to avoid the attack. Cuppa Joe crashed into a crate, but it did him little damage.

 _I'm in a c****y condition_ , the boy said to himself, _I can't fight him in that state. Don't I have something which could put me back in shape ? I do, actually...the adrenaline injector. It's the only thing to do..._

He activated it, and held out his right arm. He poked the needle in one of the rare parts which wasn't protected by armor. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It gave him vitality, it was as if his tiredness and pain was only a dream.

 _I feel like I could fight for hours..._

He raised his bone saw and laser weapon at the ready. He could see Cuppa Joe sipping his coffee. He rushed towards him. John swiped at the man, but his adversary disappeared out of sight, only to reappear behind him. The teen blocked the hit just in time. Cuppa Joe tried swiping him off his feet, John jumped just in time, but he didn't evade one of the punches the man sent him. Luckily, it didn't affect him much, thanks to the adrenaline. He shot the adult with his laser weapons, then tried engaging him in close combat. He only managed to swipe empty air, his bone saw never striking it's target. He started chasing the coffee crazed man, still to no avail.

 _Alright, if I can't get him, I'll just wait for him..._

He stopped, bone saw at the ready. He looked around him, trying to get a glimpse of his opponent.

Cuppa Joe appeared at his left, but instead of punching him, the villain started running around him. John turned around, and turned once more, expecting punches from the villains. At one point, something strange happened. John started feeling dizzy. He realized too late that he'd played into his enemy's game. What a fool he had been ! Turning around like a goddamn idiot ! He was so disoriented that he didn't manage to evade the next attack that the adult threw at him. He got punched a few times, but with sheer luck, he managed to exchange a swipe with Joe. The villain stumbled a few steps back, and looked at his suit. There was a jagged cut on his torso, blood dripping and staining his suit.

''¡Pequeno hijo de p**a!'', the villain enraged.

He rushed at the teenager, his rage fueling his speed. He was now going twice as fast as before. He sent a flurry of punches at the Teen Ninja, who at first intercepted most of them. However, the never ending wave of punches soon took care of that, and five seconds after the boy was taking the full blunt of the attack. All of the hits were damaging him severly.

 _I think I can shut my eyes now_ , he thought.

 **So what's going to happen ? Will John be able to beat Cuppa Joe, or will loose and be confronted to dishonor from his fellow Teen Ninjas ?**


	9. Chapter 9

**After 4 months, It will have been worth the wait.**

 **By the way, this story is now one year old.**

 **Chapter 12 : The teenage mercenary**

 _I think I can shut my eyes._

The teenager stumbled a bit, then fell towards the front, unconscious. Cuppa Joe smirked proudly. He turned to the workers :

''Did you take care of el senor Fizz ?''

''Yes, Sir, he's in the ship. We've removed his armor and installed him on a bunk. We did the same for Golgo !''

''Perfecto, now let's go, we have a coke factory to ruin. And after this we are going to destroy a fruit cocktail brewery...''

''Just one question, Sir ?''

''Yes, Stevenson ?''

''What should we do about that teenager ?''

''You heard el senor Fizz...Leave him there. When the police will come and investigate, they'll find him and blame him for the whole mess.''

They started walking away, when the employee accidentally bumped into Cuppa Joe, knocking his cup of tea out of his hands. It crashed onto the floor, breaking into a dozen pieces. This made the man extremely angry.

''Look at what you have done, you idiot. I'll have to wait two hours until I can get another cup of coffee ! Expect a drop in your pay, Stevenson !''

''I'm sorry, Sir...I didn't mean it...''

While the two men argued, the coffee trickled on the floor. It mixed with the alcohol. Some of it went in John's direction. It arrived at mouth level, soaking his lips and his tongue. The effects of the mixture were immediate. John opened his eyes, but something was different. Behind his black specs, his blue eyes were sparkling. He felt the energy coursing through him. So that's what happened when you drank coffee, or at least THAT kind of coffee ! He made a mad dash just to see what would happen. He was astonished to see that he'd ran 80-90 meters in less time than he could count up to his right middle finger. The best thing was that he didn't even feel tired. He heard the two adults arguing, and cautiously approached, making his best not to be heard or seen. He could see that Cuppa Joe's cup of coffee had broken on the floor. So that's where the coffee came from. He looked around for a weapon, and found a empty whisky bottle, plus a boat's helm used for decorative purposes.

He was going to give these guys a run for their money. The worker was cowering in fear as his boss, and just as Cuppa Joe was going to slap him. A black and white blur swept in front of him, and knocked the employee into a wall, rendering him unconscious. Cuppa Joe looked shocked for a few seconds, but then he regained his composure and searched for the mysterious attacker.

''Hey, you crack addict !''

The villain turned his head in direction of the voice, but he still couldn't see anyone.

''Right here.'', a voice said behind him. The adult looked back, only to get punched in the face. He flew a few meters back, but manage to keep his balance. He looked around, but could see no trace of the teenager. The adult analysed his surroundings, and noticed what was left of his cup on the floor. The coffee in it had mixed with the alcohol, which had probably dripped into the boy's mouth. He frowned, remembering a similar incident six years ago, only this time it had been a Kids Next Door operative who'd sipped his coffee. Today was different. His adversary was a tall, fit teenager, not a whimpy little kid. Not to mention the coffee had mixed with a foreign liquid. The adult had no idea what the effects would be. It troubled him, yet he was curious what it did to the boy.

 _Come on, show yourself, you greasy haired brat. Where could you be ?_

As if to answer this, a black and red blur whizzed in his direction. Cuppa Joe sidestepped just in time, The teen speeding for a few meters, then ground to a halt, skidding for a few meters. The adult smirked. He'd found his adversary's weakness.

''Why are you laughing,c**t face !'', the teenager sneered.

''I'm laughing because I found your weakness. The alcohol...mixed with the coffee, it reduced its effects. When you rushed past me, I saw your face and body pretty distinctively. This should not happen. If you'd drunk pure coffee, you'd be a blur, I wouldn't be able to see this clearly. This means that I still have the advantage, for I am still faster.''

''Prepare your coffin, cause I'm gonna send you flying over the Mexican border.''

 _Interesting, it seems the mix has also made the chico more aggressive. I should be careful, even if his actions aren't as coordinate, one hit and I could go down._

''How unpolite and racist of you.'', the adult declared,''I've tried to make the lesson go in, but it seems I'm going to have to do it a lot harder.''

He charged at the teenager, and threw a volley of punches at him. He ducked when the boy took a swipe at him with his bottle. Cuppa Joe then decided to finish it once and for all. He punched the teen relentlessly. His fists were acting like bullets, and his arms were the machine guns. After half a minute, he stopped. The adult was exhausted. He'd put all his energy into this, and since he didn't have his cup of coffee any more, recovering physical energy was impossible. At least his enemy was beaten to a useless pump. The dust was clearing. Cuppa Joe turned his head, not wishing to see the mess that was his enemy. He looked at his hands...his jaw went slack. His hands were bloody. They had cuts everywhere, and they were full of wood splinters. Wood splinters ? He turned, and as the dust settled, he gasped. The teenager was still standing, and on his arm was...a ship steering wheel. It looked as though it had been smashed with a hammer. Then the adult understood. He'd punched the object and not the boy. He hadn't even realised it. What an idiot he was. But Cuppa Joe wouldn't have time to reflect further, because his enemy was already on the move. The teenager had lowered his left arm, and was glaring at him, his left eye ablaze ( You could practically see a blue flame coming from beneath the boy's specs. ). Cuppa Joe only said two words, before the teenager charged at him :

''Oh m****a !''

The adult was rammed violently, and he went flying over a dozen meter. He got up, only to get hit to the face with ta glass bottle. It shattered, embedding shards of glass into his forehead. This nearly knocked him out. He stumbled, and took another punch. His head was rigging, but the adult villain wasn't going to let himself defeated by a mere teenager. He tried giving a punch, but it was stopped, and he got kicked in the stomach. Finally, a hit to the chin knocked him out, the villain closed his eyes and fell to the floor.

After assuring himself that his enemy really was unconscious, John inspected the area. Seeing that there were no kids left, and that all his opponents were KO, the teenager replaced a couple plates from his armour, then exited the building by the fire exit, the blaring of police sirens being heard in the vicinity.

John opened the door to his bedroom, walked in, then shut it again. He deactivated his armour, then took it of. He threw it on top of his wardrobe, then went to his bedside cabinet, took out the key which was under it, and opened it. He found a nice bottle of scotch whisky waiting for him ( He'd managed to smuggle it away without his parents discovering. ). He would drink some from time to time, but not too much : Any sign of high alcohol consumption, may it be a sudden change in character ( He was prone to do that, changing from his moody self to a cheerful state, babbling jokes and giggling like a little girl. ) or a slight totter, and his parents would suspect he was up to something. And if they discovered his bottles, he was dead. They wouldn't trust him as much, and he'd probably get a very serious talk from his mother. This could go on hours, and at the end, he was too exasperated with boredom to comply with her demands.

He opened the bottle, and approached it to his lips, only to put it down. _No_ , he thought, _I've had enough foul brew for today._ He put it back in the cabinet, then took off his shoes. He slipped under the bedclothes, then shut his eyes, drifting to sleep.

 **2 hours later**

The communicator beeped, pulling the teenager out of his slumber. He picked it up.

 **You've got one new mail** , it said, **at 12:15, Friday, October the 12.**

John pressed on a button, which opened the message. It read :

 _You are requested at the Delightful Mansion at 15:00. You must bring your Battle Ready Armour. Any signs of lateness will be severely punished._

 _Oh, great, what now,_ he thought. He packed everything he needed into a small bag, then went out of the house, but not without warning his parents ( He told them he was going to the mall, and definitely not to a creepy manor who's owner was a man coated in flames. ). He went to the bus stop, hoping that one would arrive in a short while.

John stepped out of the bus. The bus stop was only a few feet away from the mansion, so the teenager was there in less than a minute. He pushed open the gates, then walked up the alley, towards the heavy looking mahogany doors. He knocked, then waited a bit. Finally, he heard a crackle from the inter phone.

''Enter'', he heard a voice say.

He pushed open the doors, then walked into the hall. There wasn't anybody so he advanced further. He passed through corridors before finding Father's study. He knew someone was there because he saw a glint of light coming from the door, which was ajar, and he heard the crackle of a blazing fire. He advanced cautiously and peered into the room. And first he saw nothing, then remarked that the seat at the desk was turned around.

 _Oh crap..._

He entered the study, and was surprised by how big it was. He also noticed that several people were present at the left side of the room, chatting eagerly. However, when they acknowledged his presence, the room became silent. John recognised a few of them. There was Abigail Lincoln, standing in front of a window. She seemed a bit stressed. Then there was Jason Stantham, his unit chief. Jason was a senior. He stood at 6'2, and was built like a tank, and had short scruffy black hair. Then there was Francine ''Fanny'' Fullbright and Chuckie Cavarello, a high ranking Teen Ninja...and a stupid, lame b*****d who had the Intellectual Quotient of a walnut. The last two people, John did not recognise. One of them was a young Afro-American woman. She resembled Abby in figure and stature, except that her hair was shorter and more wavy. The other one wore a black ninja suit, the only thing you could see from he or she were two, piercing brown eyes.

''So young man, do you know why you're here.'', Father said in a grave tone.

''Let me guess'', the boy said,''The new Flying Van prototype exploded and someone blamed it on me ?''

''No.'', the man continued, ''Although this did happen !''

Father straightened, and his normal, distant stare became a solid frown.

''You're here to justify your actions, Mr Dearmaadat.''

''My actions ?''

''Yes.''

''When ?''

As he heard this Father tensed, the air in the room got slightly hotter, and his voice became a lot more deep and menacing.

''Stop trying to fool me, you little punk ! you know where, and when ! This morning, at a brewing factory !''. His yellow eyes were now ablaze, ''Two of my associates came to me whining this noon that some Teen Ninja equipped with a special Battle Ready Armour foiled their plans by beating up their employees, gravely wounding a couple others. Said Ninja then put out of action both of them.''

''Why the crap would it be me ? It could be someone else. I'm not the only one who's been testing special types of Battle Ready Armour recently.''

''I forgot to mention...The teenager was wearing black square sunglasses.''

The teen faltered hearing this. Father got up from his chair, and peered down at John.

''I don't like liars. Particularly when they are my own soldiers. Now care to explain your actions !''

''Okay...first of all, they blew down a brewery.''

''I don't care !'', the adult yelled.

''Then they tried to destroy all the brewing stands, to destroy all the alcohol within them. Not to mention the root beer.''

''I was the one who ordered this.''

''But why ?''

''Because this enterprise sold soda drinks to underage people ! And that's ILLEGAL !''

''But they tried to destroy alcohol...?''

''Alcohol is not a true adult drink. It confuses the mind, and prevents us from properly doing our parental duties, contrarily to coffee which gives us energy, and soda which helps us to cope with stress.''

''Really...I had no idea.''

Father seemed to calm down a bit.

''We'll you know, the properties-'', he started saying, but John rudely interrupted him.

''So, if soda helps to cope with stress, do you drink a lot of the stuff ?''

''DON'T . INTERRUPT . ME !'', The villain yelled, erupting in to a column of flames. The temperature was so high, John had to shield his face with his arms. When it stopped, he remarked, with a slight urge to punch the man in front of him, that his sleeves were smoking a little.

''Okay, I know I may have made an error, but it happens to everyone...okay !?'', The teen said, and this time, you could hear a slight bit of fear.

''Letting kids run away is an error ! Freeing them is not ! You did this voluntarily ! You interfered in the mission of people who had a superior rank to yours ! You eliminated them, ALL ! I am pretty sure your naivety towards kids led to you this, but it is still TREACHERY !''

The fire wielding man stopped for a few seconds to get his breath back.

''May it be treachery, or naivety, I have no place in my organisation, MY SOCIETY, for losers like you !''

He turned towards the other Teen Ninjas. They stopped chatting, and their various expressions turned to one of utter seriousness. Father spoke in a raspy and crisped voice :

''This Teen did an unspeakable action. He betrayed his comrade grown ups...for KIDS ! He freed these brats, and knocked out his colleagues ! Do you want to keep him, knowing that he might turn on you in the middle of a mission, because you stopped these evil kids from creating mischief ! His naivety already made us lose a precious objective this morning. Do you really want this loser to fail all of you ? All those in favour for his departure...raise your hands !''

Instantly, several hands raised themselves. Abigail Lincoln seemed to hesitate, but one quick glance from the Afro-American woman next to her made her raise her hand up. Father turned back to John, and for the first time, the boy was sure the man was grinning.

''It was pretty obvious.'', The villain stated.

''John Dearmaadat, I hereby declare you guilty of the crime of treason towards this organisation. You are hereby banned from the Teen Ninjas. And that's mean you're FIRED-''

The man formed a fireball in his palm.

''-IN A VERY LITERRAL WAY OF SPEAKING !''

He then aimed it at John, who'd taken to his heels as soon as Father finished his sentence. The boy bolted out of the door, the fire wielding maniac hot on his tail.

Several minutes latter, the doors of the Delightful Manor flew open very violently, as a big gush of flames appeared, and a slightly singed teenager flew out, rolling down the manor's alley while spewing out a string of insults in five different tongues. He finally stopped in front of the gates, his face in the mud. He reared his head up, slightly dazed. He was feeling sad, betrayed, and a lot of others emotions which tend to put your moral down to zero. To top it all, it started raining again.

Since Saturday, nothing was the same. He'd gone from the cool new guy to the weirdo, the guy that nobody dared approach, speak to or even look at.

A shadow that everybody rejected. In a sense that suited him, no one went near him or tried to harass him, but he could still see people whispering whenever he passed, and he would often be jeered at by some jocks, queen bees or whoever followed them, like the good little sheep they were.

He thought at first that most people would understand what he'd done, and at least talk to him. Instead, everyone seemed to...push him out of everything. Even Abby, Hoagie, Wally and Kuki and the rest of the gang excluded him. They weren't jeering at him, or insulting him, but they were certainly trying to avoid him. Whenever he'd try going to the cafeteria, they'd always find a stupid excuse, as ''This place is already taken'' or ''We're already waiting for someone''. He knew that they held high positions in the school's social ladder, even Hoagie who was considered a nerd. Although in his case, his high intelligence granted him a place of power in the ranks of the Teenage Scientists working for the Teen Ninjas.

And the Baseball Club...Damn ! Now everyone in the whole team was looking badly at him. He wasn't given as much time on the field, and he sometime heard people booing him whenever he came on the field. He thought this year was going to be a good one. Nicked !

He still didn't understand how the school, or at least most of it, could treat him like that. Surely not everyone agreed with the Teen Ninjas.

He learnt a bit latter that the Prom Queen herself had given the order that he'd been ''quarantined'', and that whoever tried to sympathise and befriend him would lose their rank in the social ladder, and probably get a good beating from the jocks.

He had certain suspicions to why they were treating him like this, and not beating him up. One, he was not a wimp. He was actually quite tall and fit, and his performance in baseball had proven that he was quite tough. Secondly, and most importantly, he suspected someone of having told the Queen Bee what his time was like in Britain, and he already had a good idea who it was.

The first surprise he got was when he opened his locker on Thursday. Three balloons full of water fell on his face, soaking his hoodie. Instantly, everyone laughed.

''Kid sympathiser !'', one of them yelled.

John was wondering how they'd manage to open his locker, when he heard the bell ring.

The pranks and the mockery were still going on, and would probably not stop until a good while. John had gone back to his old situation in England : Alone and with no friends.

He was walking back home, under the rain. He had no raincoat, but he didn't give a damn. The rain could just soak him to the bone, he felt so miserable he wouldn't notice it. He was walking this for a good five minutes when he heard a large commotion ahead.

He jogged forwards, until he came to a crossroad. A large crowd was assembled in front of what seemed to be two lorries. After approaching a bit, he realized that an accident had occurred : The two vehicles had collided. He could hear an ambulance coming on his left to get the truckers to the hospital. He studied the scene : Two trucks, broken wind shields...then his vision spun to the right. One of the trucks had spilled its content on the road. Curious, he approached. There was a pile of boxes, all in shamble because of their fall from the trucks.

He picked up one of the boxes. From the images on it, he found out it was an airsoft replica, to be precise, an AK-74 reproduction made by Ayumazi.

So it contained airsoft replica. Interesting. He picked up another one, this time the gun was slightly different. It was the same brand, but the replica was one of the Sturmgewehr 44, a old weapon used by Germany during the Second World War.

Lastly, the third box he picked contained a Five-Seven replica from Takana. He was still scared that the decommissioning squad would go after him, even after he'd been kicked out of the Teen Ninjas. The opportunity was great. He had lots of boxes to choose from. He'd always been interested in airsoft back in the United Kingdom, but he never had much time, and his parents had forbidden him to practice it. He looked around him, picked up up three of the boxes, and four plastic bottles filled with plastic pellets. He then walked off.

The crowd was so focused on the accident that even the police didn't notice the teenage boy walking off into the rain with his precious package.

 **Teen Next Door Secret Bunker**

 **18:00**

 **Friday, 19 October 2012**

''The ''Teen'' is no more a menace.'', Maurice stated.

The rest of the Teen operatives were sitting on their chairs, in a half circle. Maurice was standing in front of them, explaining the situation.

''As you all know, one week ago, Mr Fizzle and Cuppa Joe attacked a brewing factory which produced root beer. They took hostage a group of children who were visiting the building with their school. Then, one of their goons accidentally created an explosion which flooded the building with root beer. Some of the people were on the point of drowning. However, towards 11:00, an unidentified Teen Ninja wearing an experimental type of Battle Ready Armour intervened. Said Teen Ninja entered the building and tried to stop Mr Fizzle and Cuppa Joe, with success, then departed. Later this day the ''Teen'', AKA John Dearmaadat, was seen going to the Delightfull Mansion for the second time in less than a week, which alarmed us greatly at first.''

Maurice paused.

''The rest is well known thanks to Numbuh 5. Any questions ?''

Hoagie put his hand up.

''Should we continue to spy on him. It's become pretty difficult to approach him since he's been outcast. It's not that he's aggressive, it's just we're not supposed to approach him by decree by the Prom Queen. Not doing so could compromise our position in the social ladder and attract suspicions from the TeenZ !''

''Well, try and find more information on him...What did he do back in Britain, what are hobbies..''

Once the meeting was over, the TND operatives went to the cafeteria. The four long time friends sat at a table, took an order, then started chatting.

''So, how did he look when he arrived ?'', Wally asked.

''He tried playing dumb, but that didn't work.'', Abby said, ''The fool tried to trick Father...Still, Abby has to admit he's got guts.''

They paused. There was an eerie silence.

''Well at least...no one is trying to get near him...or capture. Father doesn't know of his condition...so he's safe.'', Hoagie said.

Abby scoffed.

''Ya really think that he's safe. Maybe from Father...but not from the KND. He's gonna do one suspicious movement...and they'll shut him up in the Undersea Lab before you could say decommissioning.''

''I shouldn't worry too much.'', Wally declared, ''Nothing's gonna happen. Well, now that we've finished arguing about that, who's in for slasher movie this evening. ?''

''Did you buy the one I showed you ? ''Murdernator 5 : Swamp Carnage'' ?''. Hoagie added.

''Yup, mate.''

''Oh, no, Abby is sooo not looking at one of your B-rated movies again. These things are gonna rot yo' brains out, baby. Abby wouldn't worry for Number 4, he's already a lost cause. But I ain't letting you lose what's left of intelligence in that big head of yours.''

''That's completely false'', Hoagie stated, ''It's been demonstrated in a very serious way that horror movies, contrarily to concussions and other bumps to the head, have nothing to do with neurological-''

''Stop trying to confuse Abby with yo' science vocabulary, Flyboy.''

They kept discussing of this for five minutes, Abby trying to convince her boyfriend that horror fics diminished his intellect, while he tried to prove the contrary, even stating that it provided more cultural background.

Wally was finding it quite funny. He was chuckling lowly, when Hoagie gave him a look which meant ''Help me''. Wally looked back with a bemused air.

 _Sorry, mate, but ya on your own for that one._

He felt Kuki tug on his arm, and turned to her. She was pouting.

''What's the matter, sheila ?''

''You said we were going to see Twilight this evening !'', she responded angrilly.

''Oh.'', he muttered. _How could he have forgotten ?,_ ''Yeah...of course. But I thought we were going to see it next week.''

''No ! You said today !'', she pestered.

''Really...'', he continued, feeling stupid. _Oh, crud._ He looked at Hoagie, who met his gaze ( Although he was still in a heated argument with Number 5. ). The tall lanky teenager gave him the same look that Wally had given him several minutes earlier.

 _Sorry, dude, I can't do much._

'' Kooks, I'm awfully sure we were supposed to go next week.'' He didn't want to admit he'd forgotten.

She looked at him fiercely, he literally had the impression there were flames in her eyes.

''Hmm...'', he started, then he got a flash of inspiration,''I forgot...'', ( She started staring at him. ), ''because I planned something...a lot better. A date...at a restaurant. It's not a fast food, I swear. It's a real restaurant, 4 stars.'' Hearing this, the girl's attitude softened. The Aussie boy was tense, expecting her to go berserk on him ( This never finished well. ). Suddenly, she hugged him warmly.

''Oh Wally, I knew you hadn't forgotten our 2nd Anniversary.'' While she nuzzled his nose, Wally did in fact remember. Two years already, man it seemed like yesterday.

 _Sweet dingos_ , he thought, _cruddy Lady Luck saved my butt._

''Which restaurant is it ?'', the Japanese girl asked him.

''Err...It's a surprise. I'll send ya a message in one hour, the time I finish with the reservations and stuff. Okay. We should be going for 20:00.'', The Aussie boy finished.

''No problem.'' She got up, and packed up her stuff.

She kissed him one last time.''See you at 20:00 then, Wallybear.'', she called him by his nickname.

''Yeah, see you.'', he said faintly.

Once Kuki was out of sight, Wally put his head between his hands.

''Aww, crud...''

''Boy, you'd better start searching for a 4 star restaurant.'', Abby declared, smirking, ''Or you're gonna be in big trouble.''

 **Dearmaadat Residence**

 **20:00**

 **Same day**

John walked into his room, sat on his bed, and opened one of the boxes. Inside, he found a cable, some stuff to clean out airsoft weapons, and the gun itself, plus a couple banana magazines.

 _Alright, let's read the notice. So...hmm, 350 to 380 FPS, yeah, what else. It's an AEG, already guessed that by the cable. Each clip can load up to...400 pellets ! Jeez, if that's what a simple banana magazine can load, I wonder how much an LMG magazine can contain. Is the battery precharged ? Yeah, it is. Ok...let's test this baby._

He searched for a target, and found an old broken clock ( Which he was about to throw in the trash. ). He fumbled a bit with the gun, making sure everything was alright, then aimed at the clock. He pressed the trigger, and the clock's glass frame exploded, shattered glass falling onto the floor.

John was impressed. This gun could do a certain amount of damage. He was sure that if he used it on someone, it would inflict a considerable amount of pain on them. However, before he could continue his experiences, his mother called him.

''Sweetie pie, could you come down and make some salad. I have some work to finish, and it would help me tremendously if you could make a few chores for me.''

''Okay, I'm here in a minute.''

He put the weapon back in its box, then went downstairs.

Next Monday went badly. Now that he had become an outcast, John was getting more and more harassed, insults became frequent, people constantly whispered rumours on him ; not to mention the looks he got from the seniors, particularly from the preps. He stuck to the shadows ( It had become a habit ), arrived among the last in class, got out the first, and tried passing in the halls when they weren't very crowded. He was currently passing a row of lockers, at a light trot, in hope of avoiding the popular students, who would no doubt throw a slur of insults at him. He was nearly at his class room when he passed a bunch thugs bullying a pudgy freshman. As he walked past, he heard him scream. The thugs were beating him up.

''If I could, I'd hire someone to kill you !''

''As if you had enough money, dork.'', one of the attackers mocked.

And they mercilessly continued to beat him. He would have come and helped him, but he was going to be late. Then again they were 9 graders. He was taller than them, and stronger, so maybe he could overwhelm them. He went to help him, but the thugs had already finished their job and were marching down the hall. Too late !

He offered his hand to the other teenager so he could get up. To his shock the nerd recoiled. He got up the hardest he could, then ran away. John stood there for a moment, not fully processing what just happened. He looked down the corridor. The two thugs were looking at him. John stared back, and after a couple seconds, the bullies went in the corridor to the right. John resumed his jog.

But something was different about the Anglo-German teen. The words the Freshman had cried had had a profound effect on him. He needed to find the dude's name. During recess, he met a couple others one in the empty halls. After a interrogating them ( With the help of his fists, one of the only things the preps didn't care he did. ), he finally got the boy's Name and Surname.

Several hours later, an exhausted and pissed off John Dearmaadat came to the door of his home. He took out his keys, entered, threw his bag on the couch, then ran upstairs to his bedroom. Some mad idea had gone past his head during the day. It seemed as tho destiny had given him a date. The airsoft replicas, the Freshman...He bolted into his room and dived into his wardrobe. He pulled out an old pair of jogging pants and a plain blue jacket. He then found an old pair of grey trainers. But after a bit of practical thinking, he threw them back into the cupboard, and took out his walking boots. He threw them on his bed. After this he opened, he opened another cupboard, and took out a ski mask. He wondered if he could find something to hide the rest of his face. A few minutes later, after searching a bit, he came up with a dusty, black balaclava. He had no idea how he got the damn thing, but for the moment, he didn't care. Finally, he picked up his rollerblade protections. He'd done some a bit when he was a younger, and he was troubled they wouldn't fit him any more. But it was fine. He could still wear them. He took of his normal clothes, then put the other ones one. He took a look at himself in the mirror. Man, he looked cool. Then he knew he'd forgotten something. Two things in fact. He searched through the bottom part of his wardrobe, and discovered a pair of fingerless gloves. He finally went over to his desk, and picked up the dusty ''Doctor Time-Space and the Continuums'' badge which was lying around on his desk.

He only had to pick his weapons now. He took the AK-74 replica, and made his way to the door. Before opening it, he reached on top of a shelf, and took down his old cricket bat. It had plenty of small cracks. You could catch glimpses, thanks to the dents in the black paint, of the elm wood which was used to confection this masterpiece. For John, it was the oldest thing that he had. All the other toys and stuff he'd got from this period had been broken or discarded. He was Eight when he first started to play cricket. Now, he was going to use it to more questionable goals than the beauty of this sport.

Five minutes later, he was downstairs eating a snack. It wasn't a good idea to go to battle empty stomach. _An army walks on its stomach_ , he repeated to himself. He also took a small sip of whisky, mixed with water, the bottle came from the North of Scotland. ( A very small sip, that thing was strong, although it tasted wonderful. It had a smoky and peaty taste, just like the bogs near Ulapool). After making sure everything was ready, he walked out of his front door, shut it, then went off.

It took him ten minutes to get to his destination. While he was at school, he'd used his spare time to go and check the online phone book for the boy's surname. He'd found one result, which was good ( He didn't want to spend hours searching multiple locations. ). He posted himself at the street corner, then waited a bit. Finally, he saw the boy he was searching for take out the trash. John started walking down the pavement, hoping his stratagem would work. He passed in front of the Freshman while he was opening a trash can. At first, it seemed the other boy didn't notice the strangely dressed figure who was walking in front of him. Then he heard the guy call him.

''Hey, you...could I ask you something ?''

 _Bingo._

''What do you want ?'', he asked in a deep and raspy voice

''Is that...?''

''The Doctor 'Time-Space Victorian' badge ? Indeed.'', He continued in his new tone of voice.

''That's a super rare one...Hey is that a cosplay ?''

''No.''

''Oh. Then why are you dressed like that ? And why do you have an air soft replica ?''

''I guess you guys haven't heard of me in these parts. To make it simple, I'm a soldier, but a peculiar one. I don't belong to any army, yet I can fight for all of them. I can be a servant of the rich just as well as the poor. I don't care if you're Black, Jewish or Mexican. Nor that you've got Down Syndrome or some kind of rare illness. I'll do anything, anytime. There are only two things which you must do in return. One, pay me. Two, don't give me a mission which is morally too questionable...or you will become **the** target.''

The 8th grader stared in awe.

''So you're some kind of...Teenage Mercenary !?''

''Exactly, Amigo.''

He approached the pudgy boy, and extended his arm.

''Nice to meet you. So, since you've asked me a question, let me ask you one in return : Do you know anyone who you'd like me to pay a 'visit' ? Not to kill them, just to give them a lesson.''

His interlocutor seemed shocked.

''No, N-Not at all.''

''Oh come on, not even...I don't know, tax collectors ? Bullies ?''

He noticed the freshman's expression change at these words. The nerd seemed to hesitate. Then he spoke. And a wicked grin came on his face.

''Now that you mention it'', he said, ''There are a couple of people I'd like you to punish.''

''Go on. Give me everything. Photos, addresses...anything for me to hunt them down.''

The nerd rushed back into his house, and came back several seconds later. He was holding a phone book in one hand, and a sheet of paper in the other. He put down the book on the trash can, then took out a pen from his pocket. John waited for a few seconds as his new client scribbled a few words on the paper, then handed it over to him.

''There.'', the freshman said, ''These are their addresses. How much must I pay ?''

John thought for a moment, then spoke.''Seeing as your my first client in these parts, I'll make you a price : 2 for the cost one.''

''Which is ?''

''50 bucks per face to smash. You pay me 25 now, and 25 after.''

''It's too expensive !''

''Mate, from where I come from, I'm the cheapest choice. Some guys charge up to 300 bucks per head. And that isn't a very good business deal. Some people are too poor to afford this. And anyway, I propose a good service : 50 bucks, and you've got 3 or 4 c***s lying unconscious in a ditch.''

''Will you really give them a lesson ? Will that be enough ?''

''After the beating I'll give them, they'll become as pacifist as a bunch of hippies.''

The freshman seemed to hesitate, then went inside his house for the second time. He came out with a couple banknotes.

''There you go.'', he told John. The mercenary checked if the teen hadn't forgotten a dollar, then walked off.

''You'd better do it'', he heard behind him.

 _Oh, don't worry, I'll do it alright._

''And then, I punched several times. This nerd's face looked like a tomato, at the end.'', one of the boys said.

''Yeah, I know...Nerds are so pathetic.'', his friends replied. The three friends laughed at this, not noticing the figure who was slowly approaching them. Finally, one of them acknowledged the figure's presence.

''Check this dude out.'', he declared towards the tall figure. The others looked and saw a tall young man, wearing a blue hoodie and a pair of grey jogging pants. He had rollerblade protection on his knees and his elbows. He had fingerless gloves on his hands, and wore black walking boots. But the most striking thing was that he was wearing a ski mask and a black balaclava which covered his head entirely. That and the fact that he was holding an airsoft replica.

The first bully walked towards him, with a grin on his face.

''Hey nerd, where are you going with that costume ?'', he asked.

The figure didn't respond and continued to advance.

''Hey, I'm talking to you !'', the teenager yelled.

The figure raised his replica and shot a couple bursts at the boy. The plastic pellets hit him in his stomach, chest and cheeks. The bully instinctively put his hands to his face and upper body, due to the pain, which gave his adversary enough time to rush to him. Before his friends could do anything, the boy was hit on the chin with the but of the gun. Before he could recover, the balaclava wearing teen kicked him hard in the crotch. The sophomore whimpered, and fell on the pavement, clutching the place between his legs.

His friends could only stare in shock. For a moment, nothing happened. The three people still standing stared themselves down. The first one to move was the second bully. He rushed towards the stranger, and pulled his arm back, ready to pack a punch. But before he knew, something crashed on his lower half, dealing him a considerable amount of pain. He hold his right arm, and staggered back, remarking the weapon his enemy was wielding. A black cricket bat. The boy tried to evade a second hit. He never managed. The bat connected with the left side of his jaw. He crumpled, unconscious. The figure went to verify if he was K.O, but he heard footstep. He raised his cricket bat, just in time to block a hit from the third teenager, who was wielding a Bowie knife. The teen snarled, swinging his knife at the assailant who'd just knocked down his friends.

''I'll get ya, ya bastard !'', he yelled.

His enemy hoped a couple feet back, and the teenager took this as a sign of victory. But his enemy was only doing this to get more space. He swung his bat upwards, and struck the 14 year old 's hands, which caused him to drop his knife. The boy, seeing he didn't stand a chance, did the most sensible thing to do in this situation. He started running down the street.

''Oh no, you don't.'', the teenager wearing a balaclava said in a deep, raspy voice. He stopped, only to pick up his gun, then gave chase. Being a good runner, he quickly caught up with his target, in a small alley. He tripped up the younger boy, who heavily fell on the pavement. He screamed.

''Help ! God please help me !''.

They could hear activity in the neighbourhood, but the sound of the cars honking, not to mention the yelling of some couple, dissimulated the sound of the boy's screaming. Before his enemy could get up, the figure jumped on him, and started punching his face. The boy tried to defend himself, but to no avail. His enemy whacked him mercilessly. In the end, he lay on the cold, damp pavement, half unconscious, with a bloody face and a black eye.

John checked that his enemy was down for good, then he departed. After getting out of the alley, he pulled up the balaclava to nose level, to get a bit of fresh hair. He then pulled it back down, and started the journey back home, not forgetting to pass by the freshman's house to pick up his money.

''Help.''

John heard it. A girl, in danger. He ran in direction of the sound, and came to the scene of the commotion. A teenage girl was currently slapping the hell out of some kind of...toilet paper wearing man. Behind her was hiding a small boy, who seemed to be 8 or 9 years old.

''Leave my brother alone, your freak.'', the girl screamed.

John's side in this scuffle was already taken. He marched over to them.

''Get out of the way, dudette.'' He readied his bat. The girl saw him, and ducked. John hit the toilet villain straight in the face, and knocked him out. At the same moment, a police car arrived. An officer came out of the car.

''God's sake, you caught him.''

He and his colleague proceeded to haul the Toilenator into the car.

''Who did it ?'', the officer asked.

''I did.'', John said with his deep and raspy voice.

''Oh.'' The adult said. He then reached into his pocket and took out a one dollar coin, then handed it to the masked teenager. ''Normally, people come and get their rewards at the police post, but since the price of his head is so low, we usually give it directly to his captors.''

John inspected the coin while walking back home. He'd got the rest of his money fine, his client didn't seem very reluctant after he described to him what happened to the three bullies. Still, what had happened with that toilet freak had given him a crazy idea ( As if he already didn't have enough of these today. ).

 _Bounty hunter and mercenary ? That sounded nice. 51 bucks in a day ? That sounded huge compared to how much he was given in the Teen Ninjas._

There was still a problem. How were people going to call him ? ''Teenage Mercenary'' didn't fit. He passed near a couple of Halloween decorations, and noticed one of them was a reproduction of the Grim Reaper. He was holding a wicked looking metallic scythe. John grinned under his balaclava. He knew already...

 **And there we have it : The Ninth chapter of Third Party. Things will really start to get exciting from here. John's actions from now on will have quite an effect on the town of Cleveland. As I said earlier, this story turned one year old ( Two months ago.). I'd like to thank all the people who've been reading this story, who commented it and favoured it. Finally, I'd like to wish you a happy chrsitmas ( Even if I'm a day late.).**

 **Stay tuned.**

 **P.S : Constructive criticism is welcomed.**


	10. Interlude

**Interlude :** **T** **he teenage mercenary**

 **Interlude, dudes.**

A couple of teenagers were walking down the street, with not a care in the world. The girl was giggling because the boy had told her a funny joke. He, on the other hand, was checking his pockets for the cinema tickets he'd got for him and his girlfriend.

Unknown to them, a bunch of kids armed with crudely produced weapons were hiding in a bush not far away. They were waiting for their targets, who were currently walking up towards them. The two adolescents passed the spot, not suspecting a thing. Instantly, the five kids jumped out and aimed their weapons at the couple.

''Hands up, teenager.'', one of them yelled.

The boy put himself between the children and his girlfriend, and prepared himself to fight.

''What do you want ?'', he growled.

''The game's up. Give us the information we want, and we will leave you filthy teenagers alone.''

''I don't know what the hell you're talking about.''

The lead kid snarled.

''Give us the files...'. He jumped at the teenager and tried to punch him, but the older youth simply threw him back. The kid fell back on his feet, and barked an order to his fellow operatives.

''Kids Next Door ! Battle stations !''

The children aimed their weapons at the teenage boy, and fired. The adolescent was hit by multiple projectiles, and fell on the pavement, unconscious. His girlfriend screamed and started running away. One of the kids took out his Y.O-Y.O.P.E.R, and shot a projectile at her. It wrapped around her, and she fell to the pavement with a loud THUD.

The leader of the team congratulated his teammates.

''Well done, Numbuh 5687 and Numbuh 5867. You managed to take down that teenager. And Numbuh 5768...that was some fine shooting here. Now, help me get these teenagers back to the treehouse. We've got some serious interrogation to do.'' He walked up towards the teenage boy, and started lifting him up. Suddenly, he doubled over and growled in pain.

''What's the matter, boss ?'', one of the kids said, with a worried expression.

''I've been hit...with some kind of projectile.'', the boy responded. He tried retreating to a safer place, only to be hit by more of these strange projectiles. He howled in pain, and ended up curling in the fetal position on the pavement.

''Numbuh 36666 !'', his friends shouted. They rushed to his aid, but a hale of plastic pellets stopped them instantly.

''Where the crud... ?'', one of them said. They had no idea where their opponent was. All of a sudden, a chain of small explosions was heard behind them.

''Quick, cover fire.'' the kids aimed their 2x4 weaponry at the source of the sound and unleashed a hale of laser beams, mustard shots and cupcakes. Meanwhile, the Second in Command went to retrieve his fallen leader. He picked him up, and hoisted him on his right shoulder. He'd only made a few steps when a plastic pellet hit the pavement, right next to him. A second landed on his shoe.

''Crud.'', he whispered. More pellets followed, and the kid had to run to avoid them. He finally managed to join his teammates.

''I've got him let's get out of there.'', he told them. The kids scrambled back to their S.C.A.M.P.E.R, and thirty seconds later, they were heading off to Moon base.

Everything was silent. The teens recovered, then ran away as fast as they could.

One of the bushes started moving, and out of them appeared a tall figure, wearing a balaclava and a blue hoodie. A air soft replica was strapped across his back. He sighted, mumbling in raspy voice.

''Bloody Sunday...Kids these days...Tsss.''

 **John Dearmaadat, aka Scythe : The Teen Mercenary.**

The balaclava wearing teen was sitting out at a desk, sorting out different papers. His ski mask hides his eyes, there's no way to determine who he is, or what he's thinking. It's a good disguise.

The boy was currently scribbling on a piece of paper, a screenshot he'd taken off a map from the internet. He circled several locations with a red marker, then started to trace several lines, considering different approaches of his target.

He suddenly realized he wasn't alone. He reared his head up, and snarled.

''What are you doing here ?'', he said in his usual raspy voice. The unknown person didn't say anything.

A short moment of silence occurred. Then the teen spoke.

''So you want to inquire about my services ? What do I do ? Who am I ? My missions ? My salary ? S**t, you've got guts to ask me so many questions. But anyways, I'll still answer them.''

He paused.

''So what do I do ? Easy...I punch, whack, sock and shoot people for money. A bully ? He's done for.

0-0

 _A jock cowered in a backstreet, his nose broken, a couple bruises on his arm. He'd been badly hit. He hadn't expected anything like this. He'd been walking tranquilly back his home, his day had been fine, he'd given wedgies to two or three dorks, and had managed to secure a date with nice looking cheerleader. Then all of a sudden, some masked dude came behind him and smacked him in the back with a cricket bat. He'd tried to defend himself, but his enemy was vicious. He'd manage to escape, but it was just a question of time before..._

 _''Hiding is futile...I must terminate your existence.'', a balaclava wearing figure said in a monotone, raspy voice. It advanced slowly on the boy. Suddenly, it stopped, and laughed a bit._

 _''So what's your name ? Chad ? James ? Andrew ? Honestly...I don't give a damn. As long as you'll look like Justin Bieber after a bar brawl, I'll get my money.''_

 _''W-what have I done to you ? Why are you doing this ?'', the Senior screamed._

 _The mysterious figure didn't respond, and lifted his bat up._

 _''Lights out, sunshine.'' He snarled, then brought it down._

0-0

''I don't give a crap who's side you're on.''

0-0

 _Potty Mouth and the Bright Idea launched their attacks at the Kids Next Door operatives, who replicated with a hale of lasers._

 _''Surrender, adult !'', one of them shouted._

 _''In your dreams kid !'', the toilet themed villain responded._

 _Meanwhile, behind a trash can, a certain teenager was witnessing the battle._

 _''So which one will I take on first ?''. He aimed his gun at the group of kids and adults._

 _''Oh well...Enny, Miney...'', he started counting._

0-0

''I've got the eyes of a hawk. Nothing passes me.''

0-0

 _Sector V advanced cautiously through the factory. They'd recently acquired some intelligence suggesting that Mr. Boss was building a huge Rainbow Monkey grinder. The intel also revealed that the man had recently hired a new kind of henchman. The four children cautiously avoided all of the Ice-Cream patrolling the area, and after a good deal of sneaking around, they finally managed to arrive at the grinder. Numbuh 43 passed the M.A.R.B.L.E.S to his leader. They planted them all around the machine, then sprinted rapidly towards the exit. Tommy forced the lock, and they went outside._

 _After a few seconds, several detonations were heard. The kids cracked a few jokes, while the cries of Ice Cream men could be heard in the background. They were currently goofing at a pun from Tommy ( Something about a ''nICE mission. ), when Joey noticed that something or someone, was casting their shadow on them. The team turned around, and saw a balaclava wearing teenager rushing towards them._

0-0

''I'm bring a smell of victory to this town.''

0-0

 _The teen tried to punch the chubby google wearing kid. The child rolled out of the way, and the mercenary's punch ended in thin air. He turned, only to see a little Asian girl, wearing a purple jacket, pointing a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R at him. She yelled a battle cry, and pressed the trigger, launching the plank into the teenager's head._

0-0

''You might think being new means I don't have much experience. Ha...I might be a young hound, but I bite like an old dog.''

0-0

 _The teen stumbled back, clutching his left arm. He'd manage to stop the girl from hitting his head. On the other hand, his arm was on fire. It hurt like hell. He noticed a small blond child in the corner of his vision. The kid took out some kind of device with a yo-yo strapped to it. The teenage mercenary threw himself to the ground, just as the KND operative fired his Y.O-Y.O.P.E.R. The yo-yo projectile circled over the older boy, and came back straight towards the Beatles child. The little rookie finished on the ground, entangled by his own weapon. Numbuh 46.7 pulled him out of harm, then went back to fight their enemy. He jumped into the air, and tried kicking the teenager, who, to his shock, stopped his foot in midair. The kid bounced back to the ground,only to receive a violent kick to the stomach. He lay sprawled on the ground, only slightly aware of the battle around him. He was finally pulled to safety by Tommy._

 _The teen aimed his weapon at the operatives, who were slowly retreating to their S.C.A.M.P.E.R. He fired a couple shots, both of them missing, the plastic pellets bouncing harmlessly on the space craft._

 _He ran towards it, but the ship lifted off, and sped into the sky. The teen stamped his foot on the ground out of frustration._

 _''Bloody Sunday.'', he muttered._

0-0

''So yeah..How much do my services cost ? It depends...50 dollars for a beating.''

0-0

 _''Get over here !'', the masked figure snarled, as he dragged a screaming punk into a back alley._

0-0

''Yeah...I can also protect your compound from any pesky kids...or adults.''

0-0

 _The sound of a toilet flushing attracted the attention of the young man. He peered into the toilet cabin, but noticed that nobody was there. He waited for a moment, and sure enough, after a few seconds, a head popped out of the toilets. The Toilenator sighted, then jubilated in triumph :_

 _''Finally, I'll be able to expose my brilliant plan to !''_

 _''It's the third time today...''_

 _The Toilenator looked, and noticed the Teen Mercenary staring down at him. He gulped._

 _''Want any munchies ?'', he said nervously, while taking out a box of Rainbow Munchies._

 _The teenager cracked his knuckles._

 _''You know they're quite...''_

 _PUNCH !_

 _''Oww...''_

0-0

''If you're asking me why I'm doing this job at such a young age...Simple, dosh.''

0-0

 _The chestnut haired boy looked at his computer with glee, admiring the item he'd acquired thanks to his hard earned work. He booted up one of the games he'd installed, and went straight to his item inventory._

 _''Yesyesyesyes.'', he said excitedly, inspecting the new item._

 _YOU'VE PURCHASSED : AWP-ASIMOV(FACTORY NEW)._

0-0

''I can get lots of things with that sweet cash...''

0-0

 _The blue eyed teenager looked in despair through the thick black lenses of his specs._

 _''So many brews...but I can't get a single one of them.''_

 _He moped, while looking at all bottles stored behind the glass screen._

0-0

''So yeah, now that you know who I am, what I do, I hope this information was helpful to you...and I wish dearly to see you soon. Think of it.''

The teenager then turned around, and started sorting a few files. After a short moment, he looked behind him, at the unknown person.

''Well, what are you doing here ?! come on shoo, out ! I'm a busy teen, you should know !

… **...**

… **...**

… **...**

 **Bonus :**

''What do you mean I'm a duplicate ?'', the teen said.

He looked around.

''A duplicate of a guy with black sunglasses. Dude, look at me I'm not Spanish, I don't go after every girl I know, and I'm not called Ace.''

He paused for a moment.

''Wait...Not Ace ? Then who then ? A bald dude ? In space ? Are you on meth or something ?''

… **...**

 **Hi there. Sorry for the wait. This is only an interlude before the real chapter 10 (Which I am currently writing.). But yeah, I wanted to present John's alter ego in a more precise manner. So now that you know who he is and what he does, what do you think he should do ? PM me if you have any ideas.**

 **Until next time.**


	11. Preview of chapter 10

**So yeah, I haven't updated in about four months. Don't worry, I'm not dead...I just have a very important exam (The French equivalent of Graduation) to revise, not to mention that I suffered from writer's block for a short block. But I've got back to it. Chapter 10 is advancing at a good pace, but I probably won't have finished it before the end of June. So, here's a foretaste of what's to come**

 _ **Spoiler 1**_

 _''Bleahg'', Abigail said, ''Abby hates talking like her sister.''_

 _''Still fits you.'', Hoagie answered from the kitchen._

 _''What ?! You're joking, baby.''_

 _Abby went into the room, where Hoagie was currently serving himself from the fridge, taking a few sodas cans._

 _The girl sighted._

 _''Hoagie, what did Abby tell about drinking too much soda ?''_

 _''Aw, come on. Just for this once...''_

 _''Yeah, that one. And yesterday. And the day before. Abby doesn't want you to stack up those pounds you lost last year.''_

 _''But Abby, I practice physical activity a lot more now.''_

 _''That's not an excuse. Too much soda can still make you fat.''_

 _''Well, that's weird, because it doesn't seem to affect you.''_

 _''Sweetie, I should remind you that Abby has trained her body to sustain sucrose in all its forms.''_

 _''Same argument all the time.''_

 _''I don't care, too much sugar makes is bad for people like you.''_

 _''Blah, Blah, Blah...Sorry, can't hear you. Seems like sugar has an effect on your voice.'', Hoagie taunted her._

 _ **Spoiler 2**_

 _Going through the backstreets reduced his chances of being seen. He didn't want the cops to spot him. Too many incidents had been caused due to misunderstanding. In his case, carrying a replica could lead to him getting pumped up with lead. Not something he was looking towards to._

 _It didn't take him long to get to Colonial Road. The air was buzzing with the sound of cars, trucks and motorbikes, moving across the city, with the occasional roar of a jet engine. He could not tell if it was the one of a KND or Teenz vehicle, though._

 _All right, let's searching...I've only got an hour before my parents get home, so I hope this dude will show his nose up._

 _Most of the back alleys were empty, without life, except for the occasional cat sitting on a trash can. He heard children not far. Why would a bunch of children sound happy in a street with three dentists cabinets on it ? He peered out of the alleyway, only to see them crowd in front of an candy store. Funny. A candy store next to a dentist. The world really was a strange place._

 _On the other if they were a dozen children crowding in front of a candy shop, maybe that dental freak would show up. But no, still nothing. Fifteen minutes had passed, and the children were still merely playing around. It was as if the dude wasn't stupid and knew there was a teenage bounty hunter/mercenary waiting. No, that would be ridiculous._

 _Night was starting to fall, and John feared that his parents would be home soon. He was about to turn back and go home, when he heard a strange sound come from the back of the street. It sounded as though someone was trying to dance in a latex suit. The squeaky sound was followed by the clanking of a trash can being knocked over. John readied his replica, ready for whatever was coming ( Although it would pain him if he had to shoot a hobo. )._

 _A figure stepped out. It was wearing some sort of purple suit, covering practically all its body. The person also had some sort of ridiculously huge dental apparatus stuck in its mouth. Yeah, that was definitely the guy he was searching for. Everything corresponded._

 _The man rushed towards the end of the alley. His gaze was directed straight at the children. The damn dirty children, with their unclean teeth and foul breath ! He passed the teen mercenary without noticing him at first. But John called him :_

 _''Hey...Nice day, Huh ?'', the raspy voice said._

 _The figure turned back, slightly surprised by the figure who'd called him out._

 _''Yeah, sure is.'', the dental obsessed ''vigilante'' responded. ''Hey, are you a new guy ? I didn't know there was a new teenage villain on the block.''_

 _''Yeah, I'm the new 'villain' on the block...'', responded the teen bounty hunter._

 _''Good, we other adult villains thought that the Teen Ninjas were starting to get a bit lame.''_

 _He turned towards Scythe._

 _''Look, tip from a experienced vigilante.'', he pointed towards the kids, ''These kids are up to their usual playing and all that. Their teeth are probably full of sugar, not to mention they are surely plotting something evil with Kids Next Door.''_

 _Is it me or he's paranoid ?_

 _''Okay...So, what must I do ?'', the boy played dumb._

 _''Look, I'll go and stop them from doing whatever crazy plan they are hatching. You can cover me in case the KND show up. That'll be a good start for a newbie like you.''_

 _The dental freak advanced towards the children, who were still gaily playing around with not a care in the world. They hadn't even noticed the villain advance towards them._

 _That's it...Advance and turn your back on me, you freak., The teenager thought._

 _His normal grumpy face had turned, under his balaclava, into a wicked grin. He took out his cricket bat, and advanced cautiously towards Knightbrace. The villain hadn't noticed the teenager's doings. John prepared to strike. 200 dollars easily earned._

 **Feel free to leave comments.**


	12. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the long wait, but I had my graduation exams coming up, so I get down to work. Once those are over, I'll be able to update this story more often.**

 **McClintock High**

 **8:00**

 **Thuesday 23, October 23**

''The restaurant we went to was good for a four star.'', Kuki said, ''Although I still don't understand why there was only two stars on the front of the building.''

''Heh...Ya know, that was probably an accident. These things can fall off.'', Wally declared.

Behind him, Hoagie and Abby were sniggering.

''Ha, he was running like a headless chicken yesterday.'', Hoagie chuckled.

''He's lucky we helped out.'', Abby whispered.

''Hello, Abigail.'', a voice said.

Abby turned around, only to be treated with the vision of , the most popular girl in the school, followed by her clique of wannabe friends.

''Your Highness.'', the girl replied formerly.

The red head walked up to her.

''So, how is my favourite Commander doing ?'', the red head.

She looked past Abby's shoulder, over where Hoagie was goofing at a panicked Wally.

''Aren't you getting bored these days, Commander ?'', she asked, with a fake sense of concern.

''Not in the slightest, your Highness.'', Abby replied.

''Really ? Well, even so, I still have a mission for you.''

''Which is, your highness ?''

''Let's say something spooky happened in an adult lab.''

The queen-bee then turned around, and went back to gossip with her friends, then turned suddenly to the Teen Ninja Commander.

''Meeting at mid-day, in the self.''

She and her court then left the hallway, leaving Abby and the gag alone.

John Dearmaadat's face was sporting an intense scowl, which made everyone he met in the school corridors think he was constantly in a bad mood. In truth, the boy was feeling an intense feeling of pride. Today's school gossip was mainly focused on a masked figure who'd beaten up 3 sophomores. He had to do his best not to grin when one of them passed. The poor sod had a huge bruise on his left cheek, probably due a cricket bat or a plastic pellet.

As soon as the guy was at the end of the corridor, John smirked, revealing his front teeth. He lifted up his head, and fell face to face to a Senior. An awkward silence ensued, until both parted ways, and went back to their respective lessons.

''Creep.'', the other boy muttered.

John didn't take any notice. When he arrived in class, the teacher had no yet arrived, and everyone was chatting away as usual. He went to the far end of the class, put his bag on the ground, and sat down. He folded his arms on the table, then rested his head on them.

The boring chatter went on for a while : New trends, sports, video games...When the teacher came in, everything went silent. John had always thought the Science teacher was an odd person. The guy always wore a white blouse on the fat bulk of his body, and had one weird looking sprout of red hair on each side of his head. Oh, and he had moose antlers. You definitely could not forget the moose antlers. He spoke with a hair on his tongue, about weird stuff concerning ice-cones, which John was sure had nothing to do with the actual program.

''Thith magnificienth ice-cone hath the particular abilitie to replicate a billion thimes. Note down that it useths a particular isotope...''

 _Meh...s**t_

The teenager went back to the list he was making. He was still trying to make a choice on which replica he should spend his money on. It was either an M-16A1, or a SPAS-12. The rifle replica costed more, but it had more power, and John estimated that automatic fire was better than pumping a gun for a single buck-shot of plastic pellets. On the other hand, the shotgun was more compact, and costed less.

 _Yeah_ , he thought, _I'll take the M-16._

He was rudely interrupted by the Science teacher, who startled him :

''Mr Dearmaadath, I'm not sure thith is Science you are working on. Now please tell me, what kind of ice-cone is besth ?''

''I don't know...Vanilla chocolate I guess ?''

''Wrong, Iths the Fourth Flavor. Mr Dearmaadat, do you want to have good grades this semester ? Yes ?Well I sthuggest you learn your list of genetically modified Ice-cream, or you could athieve bad grades thith semester...''

The man then turned away, and walked away back to his desk. John used this moment to give him the middle finger.

Abby was currently waiting for a report from Squad Beta. They'd gone to an unknown location in the forest. Apparently, an Ice-Cream laboratory had gone dark, not giving any news in 48 hours. But the Kids Next Door weren't responsible for this, which made the whole affair suspicious. When the first platoon of Ice-cream men went in, and didn't come back, Squad Alpha was sent. They didn't come back either.

Abby then contacted Maurice to find out if this wasn't just a secret KND Black Ops operation, to which he retorted that there had been an operation, but that the operatives involved had not been seen for the last two days.

It was evident that anyone who'd gone to this location had been hold back by something that didn't discriminate between age groups : Whether they were kids, teenagers, or adults, they had all disappeared.

After school, she, Squad Beta, squad Delta and Squad Epsilon were going to retrieve Squad Alpha. They would be accompanied by two platoons of Ice-Cream Men. And, if Abby managed her little communication stunt, several Kids Next Door Sectors would reluctantly help them.

She walked towards the screen, then tapped in the coordinates of the Moonbase. She waited, for a few seconds, until the screen started to fizzle, then the image recalibrated itself.

Finally, the image of Numbuh 541, the KND Soopreme Leader appeared.

''Abigail Lincoln'', the child said, ''Here to announce another one of your evil plans. Let me guess...should we 'surrender' like last time ? Haven't you learnt your lesson ?''

Abby coughed a bit, and did her best to talk as her sister Cree did.

''Hi twerps.'', she said in a slightly slick voice,''My original intent was indeed, to tell you to surrender. I heard that a few sectors of your puny little operatives disappeared...'', Some of the kids winced at this, ''...So I tried phoning the Squad that managed to capture them. Turns out no one had seen them. Except one, not far from Virginia Beach. But this squad disappeared. The same happened with a bunch of ice-cream men. All of his happened in the exact same location.''

''Wait, wait, wait ?'', The Supreme Leader, ''You're telling us that you have nothing to do with the disappearance of our operatives ?''

''Yup.''

''So you're asking for help ?''

''Yes.'', Abby said impatiently.

''Why should we help you !?'', one of the other kids (Visibly the Global Commander.), ''I'm sure it's another one of your traps. What makes you think we'll believe you. You could've very well taken them as hostages, invented this story so that we'd go straight to that thing of yours, so that you'd capture us all.''

''Well okay, Babies Next Door.'' Abby chuckled menacingly, ''If you think Abby is lying, then OK. We'll just go in there, find your puny little operatives, and keep them as hostages. That would be dishonourable for ya cause, cos I seem to remember that the Kids Next Door...''

''Don't abandon any children behind.'', the Supreme Leader finished.''We don't need a Teenager to remind us of that.''

''So what do you prefer.'', Abby continued, ''Either you come and help us, and maybe you'll be able to get your operatives back...''

''We'll send help.'', the pre-teen boy cut her off, ''Just send us the coordinates. And the date of this 'mission', please.'', then got

''But sir.'', the Global Commander asked.

''Don't interrupt me.'', his superior officer snapped back.''Where are you with these coordinates ?'', He turned back to the teenage girl.

''Sending em right now.'', Abby responded.

''Good. We'll be sending our forces as soon as possible.''

''This call is over is now over.'', Abby said, snidely, ''But one piece of advice : You babies should come prepared, or whatever is down there is gonna gobble you up.''

The screen then cut to static. The Supreme leader turned towards his Global Commander :

''Assemble five or six sectors, plus the decommissioning squad, then go to the coordinates the Teenager gave us.''

''But Sir, aren't you sure it's a trap ? It's not the first time they've tried that strategy. Remember the treaty of '07 ? They'd come asking for peace, then they tried stabbing us in the back !''

''Of course I remember ! We were both on that ship !'', the Supreme Leader said, then paused.

He then resumed speaking :

''I don't think it's a trap. If that was the case, they would have used something a lot more sneaky, like faking a communication from one of the lost sectors. The fact that they called us directly is unusual...''

''I'm still convinced it's a trap.''

''Look, there are still two or three sectors who need our assistance. Bickering about teenage psychology isn't going to get them back. So, as I said, you're going to assemble several sectors plus the decommissioning squad, and you're going to there and help the grown-ups save anyone trapped at whatever location you're going. That's an order.''

''But...''

''If the adults want a fight, just gun them down. I'm sure you have enough kidpower for that.''

 **Back on Earth**

''Bleahg'', Abigail said, ''Abby hates talking like her sister.''

''Still fits you.'', Hoagie answered from the kitchen.

''What ?! You're joking, baby.''

Abby went into the room, where Hoagie was currently serving himself from the fridge, taking a few sodas cans.

The girl sighted.

''Hoagie, what did Abby tell about drinking too much soda ?''

''Aw, come on. Just for this once...''

''Yeah, that one. And yesterday. And the day before. Abby doesn't want you to stack up those pounds you lost last year.''

''But Abby, I practice physical activity a lot more now.''

''That's not an excuse. Too much soda can still make you fat.''

''Well, that's weird, because it doesn't seem to affect you.''

''Sweetie, I should remind you that Abby has trained her body to sustain sucrose in all its forms.''

''Same argument all the time.''

''I don't care, too much sugar makes is bad for people like you.''

''Blah, Blah, Blah...Sorry, can't hear you. Seems like sugar has an effect on your voice.'', Hoagie taunted her.

''Don't take me for a fool ! Also, what were you saying about Abby having the same voice as her sister.''

''It's fits you.''

''Seriously...Abby thought you'd come up with a pun !''

''Well, I mean, seeing as you are the spy here, you had to CREE-ate a new identity. I'm just saying that you imitated her voice quite well.''

A moment of silence occurred, during which the two teenagers stared at each other, one feeling nervous, the other one wondering how in God's damnation her boyfriend had managed to crack such a lame joke.

Hoagie smiled nervously. ''Well...Cree, CREE-ate. Got it, right ?''

''Oh, don't worry, Abby understood perfectly. She's going to give you something in return.'', The girl said, taking her red cap of her head.

''Ah...I forgot...I have an important prototype of indestructible joystick which I have to test.'', Hoagie said quickly. He then zipped towards the cellar of his home, and locked the door behind him.

Abby slightly shook her head after her boyfriend had ''gone to do his experiments''. She then turned her attention towards the Soda that Hoagie had tried to smuggle.

 _Number 5 is gonna put this somewhere where he won't find it._

She picked the cans up, but opened one up, and took a sip.

 _Not bad._

 **Dearmaadat Housefold**

After having been to the Workshop (The name of the replica store), John went back home, and ate a snack. The box containing the M-16 replica had been stashed away (Even if it stuck out), in a large bag. He put it next to the stairs, then went to the bathroom. He shaved the few bits of mustache he was starting to have (Thanks Puberty !), then put his hand under the sink. After a few seconds, he found what he was looking for. A small hole, of a diameter of 3 or 4 centimetres. He put his index into it and pulled out a small key. After this, the boy went to a small cupboard in the kitchen, so he used the key to open it. In it were several bottles of liquor, which were prohibited to anyone under 18. John didn't care. His father wasn't stupid, so he'd locked up his stash of alcohol. But he didn't know that John had obtained a double.

The teenager took out a bottle of tequila, and poured himself a small dose, in a very small glass. Even a few drops of the liquor were enough to wake a dead man. John felt the liquid tingle in his throat, then the sensation died down after he drank some water. He got up, went towards the stairs and picked up his replica.

Once inside his room, he took out a map of Virginia Beach. He was currently trying to capture his first villain, and had settled his aim on a man who brutalized children using stuff straight out of a dentist's cabinet. The dude called himself 'Knightbrace'.

 _What a lame pun._

His name sucked, but his bounty didn't. _One hundred dollars_ , he thought, _That's a nice first bounty_. A bounty for abusive behaviour in public, on minors teeth. He'd start with something like this. Directly going after a dude armed with a gun was foolish.

From the news he'd heard, the dude had been last seen near Colonial Road. That didn't surprise John. There were at least one or two dentist cabinets nearby. His best option would be to take one of the back streets. He'd have less chance of falling on the police. Also, a villain who often attacked children was bound to do it in a backstreet, where no one could see him.

The teenager then went to his wardrobe, and took out his blue hoodie, and hunting jacket. He put them in the bag, then put in his jogging pants which he'd discarded on the floor. Then the boots, and after this the balaclava and the sky mask. He nearly forgot the rollerblade protections for his kneecaps and elbows.

Once everything was in his backpack, he slung the M-16 replica on his back, then went downstairs. He checked everything was in its place ( The gas, the lights), then shut the front door. He opened the back door, shut it behind him, then ran to the back of his garden. He checked no one was looking, then vaulted over the fence leading to his neighbour's backyard. He knew he wouldn't be found here. The resident was an old grumpy lady, who stayed indoor all day to watch TV.

He quickly changed into his combat outfit, and put his casual clothes into a bag. He then dumped it back into his garden. Luckily, it landed behind a bush.

Going through the backstreets reduced his chances of being seen. He didn't want the cops to spot him. Too many incidents had been caused due to misunderstanding. In his case, carrying a replica could lead to him getting pumped up with lead. Not something he was looking towards to.

It didn't take him long to get to Colonial Road. The air was buzzing with the sound of cars, trucks and motorbikes, moving across the city, with the occasional roar of a jet engine. He could not tell if it was the one of a KND or Teenz vehicle, though.

 _All right, let's searching...I've only got an hour before my parents get home, so I hope this dude will show his nose up._

Most of the back alleys were empty, without life, except for the occasional cat sitting on a trash can. He heard children not far. Why would a bunch of children sound happy in a street with three dentists cabinets on it ? He peered out of the alleyway, only to see them crowd in front of an candy store. Funny. A candy store next to a dentist. The world really was a strange place.

On the other if they were a dozen children crowding in front of a candy shop, maybe that dental freak would show up. But no, still nothing. Fifteen minutes had passed, and the children were still merely playing around. It was as if the dude wasn't stupid and knew there was a teenage bounty hunter/mercenary waiting. No, that would be ridiculous.

Night was starting to fall, and John feared that his parents would be home soon. He was about to turn back and go home, when he heard a strange sound come from the back of the street. It sounded as though someone was trying to dance in a latex suit. The squeaky sound was followed by the clanking of a trash can being knocked over. John readied his replica, ready for whatever was coming ( Although it would pain him if he had to shoot a hobo. ).

A figure stepped out. It was wearing some sort of purple suit, covering practically all its body. The person also had some sort of ridiculously huge dental apparatus stuck in its mouth. Yeah, that was definitely the guy he was searching for. Everything corresponded.

The man rushed towards the end of the alley. His gaze was directed straight at the children. The damn dirty children, with their unclean teeth and foul breath ! He passed the teen mercenary without noticing him at first. But John called him :

''Hey...Nice day, Huh ?'', the raspy voice said.

The figure turned back, slightly surprised by the figure who'd called him out.

''Yeah, sure is.'', the dental obsessed ''vigilante'' responded. ''Hey, are you a new guy ? I didn't know there was a new teenage villain on the block.''

''Yeah, I'm the new 'villain' on the block...'', responded the teen bounty hunter.

''Good, we other adult villains thought that the Teen Ninjas were starting to get a bit lame.''

He turned towards Scythe.

''Look, tip from a experienced vigilante.'', he pointed towards the kids, ''These kids are up to their usual playing and all that. Their teeth are probably full of sugar, not to mention they are surely plotting something evil with Kids Next Door.''

 _Is it me or he's paranoid ?_

''Okay...So, what must I do ?'', the boy played dumb.

''Look, I'll go and stop them from doing whatever crazy plan they are hatching. You can cover me in case the KND show up. That'll be a good start for a newbie like you.''

The dental freak advanced towards the children, who were still gaily playing around with not a care in the world. They hadn't even noticed the villain advance towards them.

 _That's it...Advance and turn your back on me, you freak.,_ The teenager thought.

His normal grumpy face had turned, under his balaclava, into a wicked grin. He took out his cricket bat, and advanced cautiously towards Knightbrace. The villain hadn't noticed the teenager's doings. John prepared to strike. 200 dollars easily earned.

Suddenly, the villain turned :

''You're watching my back alright ?''

Even so it was too late. The bat came down, brutally smacking the man on the left shoulder. Knightbrace let out a howl which could've been heard in a perimeter of five houseblocks.

''AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH !'', he backed a few feet feet away, ''WHAT THE FUCK ?! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM ?!''

''Your head costs two hundred bucks.'', the teen replied nonchalantly.

The villain pulled his large halo retainer from out of his mouth. The mercenary managed to raise his cricket bat just in time, as the adult threw his retainer in his direction. It came crashing onto the bat, not hurting the teenager, but still surprising him. The villain took this opportunity to run off. John armed his replica and gave chase.

To anyone walking through the streets of Virginia Beach, the scene was a strange one. A man in a rubber suit being pursued by a teenager who looked as though he'd just robbed a bank. Knightbrace's heart was jackhammering. He pushed people out of his way, even shoving aside a pram, much to a mother's fright. John couldn't risk shooting him. They were people in his line of sight, and if some cops were in the vicinity, they'd think he was a school shooter.

The chase came to a crossroad. Knightbrace ran across a road, right in front of a white ice-cream van.

 _Oh no, you don't._

John rose his replica and aimed it in his direction. There were no ''meat shields'' to protect the villain now. He was about to squeeze the trigger, when the white van advanced slightly, then stopped in front of him. The right side of the van opened, and three ice cream men appeared. They aimed their ice cream guns at the teenager.

''Let's mow that little shit down !'', one of them yelled.

''Ah hell.'', the teenager said.

He backed away, while firing a salvo of pellets. One of the ice cream men was hit in the chest and in the face. He clutched his mouth in pain, and retreated into the truck. The two other ice cream men continued firing, one managing to clip the teen mercenary in the left shoulder. The boy retreated towards a pair of trash cans, and took cover behind them. The ice cream men continued their barrage of weaponised ice cream. John raised the M16 replica over his head, and fired blindly. Even thought he missed the Ice cream men entirely, he still managed to shoot out the windows of the truck.

This seemed to have pissed off the driver, because the truck restarted, and turned the curb. They were going to pass in front of him, and try to shoot him. John was having none of that. He rose over the trash can, and pulled the trigger of his replica. The Ice-Cream men immediately tried to shut the door of their van when they saw the teenager shooting at them. They received several pellets, and had to retreat to the back of their vans. John on the other hand, continued to fire his weapon, until the vehicle disappeared.

To say the teenager was pissed was an understatement. He'd wasted sixty pellets, and he'd lost a good occasion to make money. Not to mention his left shoulder was starting to feel numb for some reason. _Fucking adults !,_ he thought, _ruining my day !._

He walked back through the same backstreets he'd taken a few hours ago, totally tired and utterly pissed.

 _I swear to Hell, if ever see that van again, I'm burning it, what ever are the consequences._

He couldn't feel his shoulder any more. Whatever this ice-cream contained, it had seeped into his skin, and ''frozen'' his flesh. He hoped it was only temporary. He was starting to reconsider using airsoft as weaponry.

He was walking through an alley, towards one of the main roads, when he heard a few voices :

''Dude, I'm telling you, there is no way I'm working with these brats. I don't know what Commander Lincoln is thinking, but she sure took some S.T.U.F.F.'', a male voice said.

''She must have her reasons. Besides, they're not the only ones who have lost people in this mine...Julie and Mark disappeared in there, remember.'', another boy said. ''Still, I wonder how the brats knew about the lab in the first place.''

''I don't know dude, maybe they used their small size to infiltrate one of our bases, and extract information.''

''Whatever. Tomorrow is gonna be a mad day, dude''

As the teenagers walked away, the bounty hunter stepped out of the shadows, then walked back to his house hoping he would be back before his parents.

Maybe this evening wasn't a total waste after all.

 **Feel free to criticize, and give advice, if you think there is a problem.**

 **Until next time.**


	13. Public announcement

**Message to all reading :**

 **I've decided to stop writing this story. Over these last months, I've looked back on it, and realised that there were several things I did not like about it. My OC looks too sue-ish, the story centres a bit too much around him, and I have problems correctly writing Sector V in their cannon personalities. In general, the more I write this story, the more I am unsatisfied with it.**

 **I will stop writing this story, but this is not the end for John Dearmaadat. In a few days, I will post a new story, a reboot of some sorts. It's still occurring in the KND Universe, but the only thing I can tell you, for the moment, is that it doesn't happen in Virginia.**

 **Until next time.**


	14. PSA 2

**Update :**

 **So ,as I said lastly, I'm not continuing this story. However the ''reboot'' is now out, so I suggest you check it out on my profile page : It's called ''KND Universe, Chronicles of the 249.''**

 **Until next time.**


End file.
